PRESS RELEASE: Fifth annual Hook, Line and Drinker Festival postponed until 2023
On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Executive Board made the difficult decision to postpone the fifth annual Hook, Line and Drinker Festival, scheduled for May 14, 2022. A date for the 2023 event will be announced later.
“Many of our vendors from the fishing, craft beer and outdoor recreation fields have expressed concern about attending this year’s event due to the ongoing national staffing shortage,” said Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julie Donaldson. “We are still seeing a lot of our business community, county and region-wide, suffering from a lack of adequate staffing. We certainly understand and find it best to pump the brakes on this year’s event.”
All vendors who committed to the event will be reimbursed their entry fee.
For more information, contact the chamber at 828-586-2155 or stay tuned to the festival website at www.hooklinedrinkerfest.com or its Facebook page.
The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce typically hosts the annual Hook, Line and Drinker Festival in May from 3 until 7 p.m., at the Bridge Park Pavilion in Sylva, N.C.
The festival features fishing guides and fishing industry vendors, food trucks, children’s activities, live music, and craft beer vendors.
Admission to the family friendly festival is $5. Children 12 and under are admitted for free. Reusable Hook, Line & Drinker souvenir cups are included in the admission price. Souvenir cups are required to make craft beer vendor purchases by adults 21 and over. A portion of net proceeds from souvenir cup sales will benefit Trout Unlimited's “Trout in the Classroom” programming for 2022 and the "Kids Fishing Day" by the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.
In December of 2019, the Southeast Tourism Society named the Hook, Line and Drinker Festival one of the STS Top 20 Events in the Southeast for 2020.
Jackson County is the proud home of the WNC Fly Fishing Trail® and the NC Trout Capital®. The WNC Fly Fishing Trail® features 15 hot fishing spots that run from the northern end of the county to the southern end along the Tuckaseigee River. Jackson County is stocked with more trout than any other county in the state and is home to the largest recorded rainbow trout caught in N.C.
In 2021, the festival had its very own festival brew! This special HLD Pilsner craft beer was created by our friends, neighbors and supporters at Innovation Brewing in Sylva (and Dillsboro). A portion of the proceeds from each pint sold benefit the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce's continued operation of the festival.
We are always proud and grateful to welcome the Sylva Police Department to the festival and encourage patrons to use the services of our friends at Freedom Taxi after the event as well.
For more information, please visit the website at www.hooklinedrinkerfest.com, call 828-586-2155 or visit the festival's Facebook page HERE.
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