Shepherdstown Beer & Food Fest attendees socialize in the Morgan's Grove Park pavilion on Saturday night. Tom Markland

SHEPHERDSTOWN — On Saturday evening, Morgan’s Grove Park was filled with local residents taking part in the second annual Shepherdstown Beer & Food Fest, hosted by the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown.

The volunteer-run event, which showcased a wide array of craft beers, wines and culinary offerings, attracted a diverse crowd eager to indulge in a day of great flavors and community spirit. All of the proceeds from the event will go to underserved youth in the Eastern Panhandle.

“It’s a uniting event that strives to do good in the Shepherdstown community,” said Cara Keys, incoming vice president of the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown, who organized the event. “We get a good mix of people.”

Some of the organizations that the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown has donated to in the past, include need-based programs in Title 1 schools in Jefferson County, interact clubs, after-school programs and special-needs field days.

The Hawaiian-themed festival, with decor designed by Jennifer Wabnitz, included a myriad of options for alcoholic beverages, as well as pulled pork and chicken cooked on-site by Austin Slater and his team. Vacation-themed music accompanied the event, in addition to a dunk tank and cornhole.

Also featured were multiple local vendors, including Cacapon Mountain Brewing Company, a brewery based in Berkeley Springs that will be celebrating its third anniversary in November. At the festival, it provided Belgian pale ale and Kolsch beer to attendees.

“We’re new this year and hoping to come again,” Jessica Sansbury said. “It’s awesome to see someone local doing something for the community.”

In addition to the breweries that were invited, Rotary Club of Shepherdstown volunteers operated a stand providing guests with drinks, geared more toward beers and cider, because of their popularity with guests at previous events. The drinks provided by the volunteers were donated by Jefferson Distributing.

Another stand set up at the festival was Whitingsneck Wood Crafters, run by Walt Eifert. During the event, Eifert sold homemade bird feeders, banana stands and other handcrafted wood pieces to benefit local charities. Last Christmas, Eifert raised $1,000 for a local program that gave coats to kids in need.

The Rotary Club of Shepherdstown has been around for 36 years and leads numerous community events throughout the year, including an Adopt-a-Highway program and Christmas parade. In July, it will be running the annual Fourth of July Parade down German Street, followed by a picnic at Morgan’s Grove Park.

“Rotary is a great way to meet people in your community and to give back.” Keys said.