This and that: Look who’s back

BiL’s back at it. First up: Generation NA puts non-alcoholic trends in spotlight at the inaugural Free Spirited Festival. How you can get on the boat Saturday for the first Float Jam. And more.

• Thanks to sponsor Stuart & Branigin for continued support of the Based in Lafayette reporting project.

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Look who’s back: … this guy. Other than a day-and-a-half in the middle of the past two weeks, I’ve been either fishing with my dad on beautiful Rainy Lake in Fort Frances, Ontario, or dealing with corn sweat and headwinds galore on last week’s RAGBRAI, an annual weeklong bike ride across Iowa. (It’s a scene, man.) Thanks to Tim Brouk, Carol Bangert and Vincent Walter for holding down the fort while I was away, with Tim’s Picks, Market Report and photos from Buddy Guy’s show at Loeb Stadium last week. And thanks to BiL readers for the chance to step away now and again. For now, I’ll be the one over here trying to catch up with what’s going on. Here's a start …

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GENERATION NA PUTS NON-ALCOHOLIC TRENDS IN SPOTLIGHT AT FIRST FREE SPIRITED FESTIVAL

Starting in a roost in a third-floor space above offices on Ferry Street as Indiana’s first non-alcoholic bottle shop in 2022 and now at Generation NA’s downtown shop at Main and Fifth streets, Rob Theodorow has been a Lafayette-based evangelist for the non-alcoholic spirits movement.

On Saturday, Generation NA is pulling in national players from the industry to sample, talk and promote the trends in the non-alcoholic space with the first Free Spirited Festival at Wea Creek Orchard, just south of Lafayette.

Question: How did you come up with the idea for the Free Spirited Festival? And how did you settle on the name?

Rob Theodorow: We've poured at several of the local craft beer festivals – Tap for TAF, Beers Across the Wabash, Hops & Coasters, etc. – and wanted to do something both similar and different. The format will be similar with a 5-ounce tasting glass and unlimited samples, only this time no hangovers as we'll be featuring 30-plus non-alcoholic and functional brands from around the U.S.

In addition to the tasting hall, the festival will also feature live music by Quantum Cavern, food trucks, yoga/breathworks sessions, mixology demo and educational panels. The mixology demo will be handled by Joshua James at Ocean Beach Cafe out of San Francisco.

The name is a play on the free spirited nature of the festival and also the spirits being free from alcohol – it just seemed to fit together nicely.

generationna

A post shared by @generationna

Question: Who all is coming? Were you aiming for a mix of companies and beverages? And how did you recruit them?

Rob Theodorow: We have over 30 non-alc brands coming, both local to Indiana and across the country). The full list is available at www.freespiritedfestival.com. I personally invited the brands via social media and more than 50% said yes, which was an unexpected success.

We also have CEOs and top players in the space coming in for the panels, including Aaron Weakley, co-founder of Ted Segers with Dax Shepard; Jared Langston, CEO of Good Liar; Todd Harris, co-founder of Plift, and other influencers in the space.

Question: We’ve talked in the past about how the market emerged. Where do you see it now? And where do you see it in, say, five years?

Rob Theodorow: The NA and functional drink space is bigger than even I realized it could be when we started 3½ years ago. I knew back then it would be a great idea. but didn't realize just how quickly it would grow. NA beer is now the No. 2 category behind IPAs and just overtook ales. Forbes recently posted this article about the growth in the hemp space from 3 billion in 2024 to a projected 117 billion by 2032. (“Alcohol stocks tumble as health and cannabis trends surge,” Forbes, July 5, 2025.)

In five years the alcohol alternative category will be absolutely massive, perhaps even bigger than alcohol. That sounds crazy to say, but so did opening a fully non-alc bottle shop just a few years ago.

Question: What are, say, two or three of the NA trends you expect to see on display at the festival?

Rob Theodorow: THC infused drinks will be highlighted, as many people don't realize these are legal in Indiana. And not the synthetic crap you get at gas stations, but fully natural – hemp-derived – delta9 THC, very similar to what you can find at a dispensary in Michigan or Illinois. We've got it right here in Indiana, and it's fully legal.

We will also be highlighting various adaptogenics such as kava, kanna and functional mushrooms, which are great alcohol alternatives to relax and socialize with. I think people will be surprised with just how great these options are.

Question: What can people expect if they go?

Rob Theodorow: The festival will be held at Wea Creek Orchard in Lafayette, which is an amazing venue. They can expect meeting and sampling over 30 brands, learning more about the non-alc space and community and how to make a few incredible zero-proof cocktails. The event is family friendly and 17 and under are free.

This isn't just a festival, it's a movement. A place to try something new, meet likeminded humans and feel inspired by what's possible when we gather with purpose.

Question: What other context should people know?

Rob Theodorow: More information and the full agenda are online at www.freespiritedfestival.com. This is a unique thing for the Midwest, let alone Lafayette, to have top brands and leaders in the space all coming together. Let's show them our community is not only ready, but absolutely stoked to have something like this hosted here.

Question: And the details: Time, date, location, price … all that.

Rob Theodorow: The festival will happen 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Aug. 2 at Wea Creek Orchard, 5618 S. County Road 200 East in Lafayette. We have Instagram and Facebook pages setup for more details or on the website at www.freespiritedfestival.com.

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SPEAKING OF INAUGURAL FESTIVALS THIS WEEKEND …: The Wabash River Enhancement Corp. is putting a show literally on the Wabash Saturday, with its first Float Jam.

The free event starts at the boat launch at Davis Ferry Bridge, 4½ miles north of Lafayette on North Ninth Street Road, and paddles to Tapawingo Park in West Lafayette as local singer-songwriters Kelsey Patton and Jon St. Bourbon play on a boat floating alongside from 4-7 p.m.

“To me, it makes sense to combine an arts program with a nature experience,” Amy Krzton-Presson, Float Jam organizer, say. “They both evoke wonder and excitement, so live music and paddling on the Wabash seem like a great combo. This is our first time hosting an event like this. Hopefully we can continue to offer this program in the coming years.”

Organizers will provide transportation from Tapawingo Park to Davis Ferry. Float Jam has more than 40 boats ready to go, and participants can sign up for a spot in a raft, 10-person voyageur canoe, two-person canoe or kayak. They also may bring their own boat. (Tubes and motorboats aren’t allowed.) Those who are paddling the river can catch the music from the Wabash Heritage Trail and other points along the river. Participants must be 10 or older.

Registration ahead of Float Jam is required. For details about shuttles, boats and signing up, go to wabashriver.net/floatjam/

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STILL IN PLAY … EXTEND YOUR BASED IN LAFAYETTE SUBSCRIPTION BY CHIPPING IN FOR THE CASAs FOR KIDS FUND: We’re less than a week out from the 2025 edition of the Subaru CASA Cycling Challenge, a 24-hour event held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2-3, at the two-mile Subaru of Indiana Automotive test track in Lafayette. Back again will be a version of Bangert Brothers team to put in some laps in support to the CASAs for Kids Fund here in Tippecanoe County.

The CASAs for Kids Fund is set up for abused or neglected kids who wind up in the court system and in foster care, offering funding for clothing, bedding, school band instruments, field trip or summer camp fees, dance class, equipment to join sports teams and other things the system can’t provide. The CASAs for Kids Fund gets them that stuff and gets them that much closer to a normal life as a kid. And fundraising tied to the 24-hour ride gets the CASAs for Kids Fund geared up for the next year.

Just like last year, I’ll add a free month to your full-access Based in Lafayette subscription for a donation of any amount to the Bangert Brothers team or team members.

Thanks for generosity of those of you who have already stepped up. Your free month of Based in Lafayette is on its way.

If you’re game, here’s the link.

Thanks, again, to sponsor Stuart & Branigin for continued support of the Based in Lafayette reporting project.

Thank you for supporting Based in Lafayette, an independent, local reporting project. Free and full-ride subscription options are ready for you here.

Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.