It seems there is no better time to bring the community together and introduce a new brew than during the upcoming Maine Firefighters Convention. Boothbay Craft Brewery is doing both Sept. 8 during a special fundraiser at its 301 Adams Road location in Boothbay.

The Emergency Beer and Music Festival will run from 1 to 5 p.m. Owners Win and Lori Mitchell received a special amusement permit for amplified vocal or instrumental music during the Aug. 23 selectmen’s meeting. The event will feature GoldenOak, a Bluegrass and folk music group from New Sharon.

The festival is the brainchild of Boothbay Craft Brewery Marketing, Sales and Distribution Director Andreas Panagore. He was looking for an event to introduce the brewery’s latest Pilsner beer when he learned about the Boothbay Region hosting the 54th annual Maine Firefighters Convention.

“I was looking for dates and Win told me about the convention and I thought this would be a great way to combine the festival with the convention,” Panagore said.  The convention is being hosted by fire departments in Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Edgecomb and Southport. The brewery’s festival will raise funds for the host committee. In 2008, the Boothbay Region hosted the convention which drew approximately 5,000 people.

This year’s convention runs from Sept. 8  to 11 with various events in Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor. Festival tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for firefighters and their families.

The band will perform on a specially designed stage being called a “jambulance,” a converted 1980 Chevy ambulance.  The “jambulance” was designed by one of Panagore’s friends from his days as a student at the University of Maine at Farmington. GoldenOak uses the “jambulance” at performances around New England.

Panagore became a GoldenOak fan during his days in Farmington. He enjoys the four-person group’s harmonies in performances of original material and cover songs.

“I especially like how Lena and Zack Kendall perform. They are siblings and I find it phenomenal how they find each other with their range and pitch,” he said.

But the real star of the festival is the brewery’s latest creation. “It’s an easy drinking Pilsner and very cool label designed by Cody (Mitchell) which I think locals and firefighters alike will enjoy,” Panagore said.

The brew also has a special name in honor of the festival: Engine No. 2. It’s named after Boothbay’s 1948 restored fire truck.