One Saturday, Two Milton Traditions: How to Do ArtWalk and Punkin Ale Fest on October 10

On Saturday, October 10, the Milton Arts Guild's eighth annual ArtWalk runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale Fest opens at the Milton Brewery at 11 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m. The two events overlap by four hours and are connected on purpose. This year Dogfish Head is hosting an ArtWalk artist under its treehouse. Milton Main Street is also adding live music along the ArtWalk route for the first time. For one day, the art on Federal Street and the beer at Cannery Village Center work as a single event across town.

ArtWalk's rain date is Sunday, October 11. The Punkin Ale Fest listing has no rain date, so a wet Saturday could split the two events across the weekend.

Why the overlap works this year

According to the Cape Gazette, Dogfish Head is "a longtime supporter of Milton Arts Guild." The Guild's collaborator list this year goes well past the brewery. It includes Milton Main Street, the Milton Garden Club, the Women's Club of Milton, the Milton Theatre, the Milton Public Library, the Milton Community Crochet Club and Monsterful.

Guild president Lynda Rae Gannon put it plainly in the Cape Gazette:

"ArtWalk is Milton Arts Guild's most popular event of the year and typically attracts more than 200 walkers to participate in a leisurely day of art. The collaboration with our fellow Milton organizations not only enhances walkers' experiences, but strengthens MAG's commitment as a community-facing organization."

That 200-walker number is useful for planning. Punkin Ale Fest is a free, family- and dog-friendly event with food trucks, two bands and dozens of craft vendors. Put the two crowds on overlapping hours in the same small downtown and the day starts to feel like a festival, even though neither event bills itself that way.

The porches come first

ArtWalk opens an hour before the brewery gates, so start downtown. The Cape Gazette reports 31 artists showing on porches across downtown Milton. Walkers can look at and buy work in a wide range of media. The Guild's September newsletter listed 28 registered artists, so a few joined late.

According to the Cape Gazette, maps will be handed out at the Milton Arts Guild gallery at 107 Federal Street, which makes the gallery a natural first stop.

Not everything along the route happens on a porch:

• Milton Garden Club is holding its fall plant sale on the lawn at the Milton Historical Society.
• Women's Club of Milton is running a special raffle on Union Street.
• Milton Community Crochet Club is showing its members' work at the Milton Public Library.
• Pallet Village artists are showing on Mill Street, according to the Guild newsletter.
• Milton Theatre Quayside is hosting a children's craft event, also per the newsletter.

The newsletter also invites plein-air painters to set up anywhere downtown. Expect a few easels in places that aren't on the map.

The music is new

Earlier ArtWalks were quiet. This year Milton Main Street is putting musicians at several spots around town throughout the day. The lineup is Miss Maria, Joe Barbella, Catch the Drift, The Past, Alex Razze, Kim DeBonte, Storm the Band and Allie Donovan. The main music stops are Milton Theatre Quayside and Monsterful on Federal Street, plus a plaza on Union Street.

No set times have been published, so you'll find out who is playing by walking past. That also means the music doesn't stop when you leave downtown. Punkin Ale Fest has its own posted schedule:

1. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Trailer Park Casanovas play hits from the '80s, '90s and 2000s at the Milton Brewery.
2. 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Delco Donny Band plays emo and pop punk.

The Main Street musicians play downtown in the morning and early afternoon. The brewery bands carry the afternoon, and the music at Cannery Village Center runs right up to the 3:30 raffle.

Working out the timing

The schedules leave real choices, and some of them conflict. Here is one way to fit the day together:

1. 10 a.m. Pick up a map at 107 Federal Street and start on the porches while the walk is quietest.
2. 11:15 a.m. If you've booked Puppy Yoga at the brewery, leave downtown now. The session runs until noon, costs $25, uses adoptable puppies from the Brandywine Valley SPCA, and spots are limited. Otherwise stay downtown.
3. Late morning to early afternoon Finish the porches, the plant sale and the library display, and catch whichever Main Street musicians are playing.
4. Before 3 p.m. Look for the ArtWalk artist under the Dogfish treehouse. ArtWalk ends at 3, an hour before the brewery closes, so see this stop while it's still part of the walk.
5. 3 to 4 p.m. Stay at the brewery for Delco Donny Band's last half hour and the raffle at 3:30, which supports the BVSPCA.

The Milton Brewery is at 6 Cannery Village Center, so give yourself time to get between there and Federal Street on a day when both events are drawing people.

What's at the brewery

Punkin Ale Fest has the most kid-friendly activities of the day. There's $5 pumpkin painting for all ages, yard games, and a photo booth for families and pets that runs on donations. Angry Orchard is pouring cider, and there are non-alcoholic cider options too. Dogfish is also making a Punkin Liqueur cocktail.

Harvest of Time is the release made for this year's fest. It's a barrel-aged pumpkin barleywine at 12.4% ABV. Dogfish built it on Punkin Ale, aged it 20 months in rum barrels, and finished it with Madagascar vanilla beans, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. At that strength, pace yourself, especially if you started on the porches at 10.

The vendor list runs to more than thirty names. A few are close to home or easy to remember: Kent County Candles, Brûlé Bakery, Kilted Bee Mead, Blue Hour Pottery LLC, Local Waves Studio, Hoop Delaware, and Waggies by Maggie & Friends for the dogs. Between the brewery vendors and the ArtWalk artists, there are a lot of local makers in one town for a day.

Why Punkin Ale and Milton go together

Punkin Ale started in southern Delaware. Dogfish says Sam Calagione first homebrewed it in 1994 for the pumpkin-themed baking contest at the World Championship Punkin Chunkin. It won first prize. Dogfish released it commercially in 1995 and named it after the Punkin Chunkin event in southern Delaware. Holding the beer's own festival in Milton, with an ArtWalk artist on the brewery grounds, keeps it tied to the community it came from.

Parking and the drive home

The Town of Milton opened a public parking lot at Union and Magnolia streets this June. It also said it would go back to enforcing the two-hour limit on street parking in the downtown business district. A full ArtWalk loop plus a stop at the Guild gallery can easily go past two hours. For a long day downtown, the Union and Magnolia lot is the safer choice.

For dinner without cooking, Birdhouse Rotisserie Chicken and Market opened May 27 at 200 Broadkill Road, across Route 16 in the old Beaches Seafood space. It serves a dinner-focused rotisserie menu and has a small market with produce and take-home food.

The rest of the fall calendar

Once the festival is over, the brewery goes back to its regular off-season schedule, which has been running since September 14. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Mondays: free trivia and $3 sliders starting at 5 p.m.
• Tuesdays: Dogfish Head Distilling Co. hand-crafted cocktails from 4:30 p.m. to close.
• Wednesdays: free bingo and $3 tacos starting at 5:30 p.m.
• Thursdays: 25% off growler and crowler fills of R&D beers.

Dogfish says pricing can change and that block-out dates apply.

Other dates coming up:

• October 23: Maple Spiced Rum release, sold only at the Milton Brewery and the Rehoboth EmPOURium.
• October 31: Wicked Weekend at Milton Memorial Park from 5 to 7 p.m. The Town calendar lists trick-or-treat hours as 6 to 8 p.m.
• November 7: Analog-A-Go-Go at the Milton Brewery, with craft beer, analog music, and a market of record stores and related vendors.

I follow Milton's calendar for the same reasons you do, and I'm always happy to compare notes on the Saturdays that make this town feel like home. If you have questions about Milton, now or later, Linda Rosatelli is glad to help. Let's Connect.