In it’s twentieth year, Wild Brew saw it’s biggest number to date with almost 3,400 people sampling food and craft beer for a deserving cause.
"That’s one thing that’s always been really important to our business, social responsibility and to be able to be involved and help out," Eric Marshall, Founder of Marshall Brewing Company, said.
"This one event, it gives back," LukE Hadsall, Co-Founder of OK Cider CO, said. "I think everybody involved is doing it for more than just drinking."
Wild Brew is the annual fundraiser for the Sutton Avian Research Center, a non - profit focused on conservation and education.
"So if you begin to see things in the wild struggling, eventually that’s going to happen to the human population," Audra Fogle, Director of Development at Sutton Avian Research Center, said.
The event has brought in nearly a million dollars to help the bald eagles.
The thousands of people who have attended throughout the 20 years have made a big impact and because of the success, bald eagles are now off the endangered species list.
"We thought we would be successful at 10 bald eagles, and now we have over 170 active nests this year," said Fogle.
Over the years, Wild Brew has introduced even more Oklahoma breweries to the event.
Two years ago, bills signed into law brought significant change for the new businesses.
"Making it a little more friendly for small breweries and allowing them to be able to operate taprooms and be able to pour out and sell out of their own facilities which is a good revenue generator starting up," Marshall said.
Marshall said many breweries in Oklahoma are barely a year old and now cider is making it’s way to the state.
"There aren’t any cideries operating in Oklahoma yet, but I know us and a couple others are in planning," said Hadsall.
Whether or not cider becomes the new craft beer, bald eagles in Oklahoma are getting the help a national bird deserves.
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