Photo courtesy of Will Haver.
This year’s Otey’s Fest will support two good causes in the Birmingham area.
Friends being there for friends — that’s what it’s always been about.
At least that’s what Will Haver, owner of Otey’s Tavern in Crestline Village, says.
“Otey’s is a mini Cheers. It’s people who all know each other,” he said.
And when Haver threw the first Otey’s Fest six years ago to celebrate the tavern’s 20th anniversary, it was just so all his friends could have a party.
“We want to take care of those who take care of us,” he said. “The festival is just as Otey’s is — true to its form; it’s a mini Cheers. Everybody knows everybody. It’s a fun time.”
So much fun, in fact, that what was meant to be a one-time anniversary event has turned into an annual festival.
This year, three musical acts — Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, the Negotiators and the Hurlers — will entertain the crowd.
“Dumpstaphunk is a really fun band,” Haver said. “They are really good and a little bigger name than we are normally used to having.”
It’s not meant to be a huge festival, he said — normally it draws 800 to 1,000 people.
But it’ll be fun for everyone, he said.
“We’ll have hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches, and we’ll have local beer — Good People is going to bring a truck out,” Haver said. “We’ll have a bounce house for the kids. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
And it will go to help two good causes, because this year they just couldn’t choose, he said.
“I had two good friends with different organizations ask me if we could help them raise funds, and I thought, ‘you know what — we’ll do a duo this time,’” Haver said.
So proceeds will support Better Basics, which helps to develop children’s literacy, and Phoenix Club of Birmingham, which provides young leaders with development opportunities that benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs.
Knox Richardson, president of the junior board for Better Basics, said Otey’s Fest is the perfect chance for his organization to get its name out there.
“We do work with literacy intervention in the area, and we want to raise awareness for our organization,” he said.
Volunteers with Better Basics go into classrooms every week to read to elementary school students. They also get books to students living in poverty.
“A lot of these kids have never owned books before, so this is something they can treasure,” Richardson said. “We’ve seen the levels of poverty versus illiteracy pretty much match, so if we could have an impact and get kids early, we could decrease the amount of poverty in Alabama.”
Jamie Justice, a board member for Phoenix Club and vice president of member events for the organization, said the help they get from Otey’s Fest is “a blessing.”
“We joined up with them last year for the first time, and it was great,” Justice said. “It accounted for about 10 percent of all the money we made for the year for Boys and Girls Clubs.”
Phoenix Club primarily focuses on fundraising for Boys and Girls Clubs, but they also do hands-on projects such as team nights for the kids, cooking hamburgers and playing dodgeball.
“We’re so grateful to Will — his festival runs like clockwork,” Justice said. “We provide 15 or so volunteers from our group, but we are basically warm bodies to help — he’s got Otey’s Fest down to an art.”
Otey’s Fest is July 23. Gates open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 advance, $20 at the gate.
For tickets or more information, visit oteysfest.com or stop by Otey’s in Crestline.
