I had been looking forward to attending this event since I was invited back in July by the Maryland Wine Association. Their website provides a list of all of their planned events throughout the year, but this one was billed as the biggest event of them all. I was keen to snag an invitation for another opportunity to learn more about Maryland wines, and was so happy when I was invited by their marketing team. If you don’t know a lot about Maryland wines, make sure to read my article that includes a little history on this blossoming industry.
The event takes place each year at the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster, and this year they are celebrating their 30th anniversary. The event began yesterday and goes on through today, so if you are interested in attending, you can purchase your tickets on line or at the door ($30 at the door, $27 on line). They also offer a Premier Tent Pass but only offer 400 of these tickets tickets per day. They do encourage you to buy these in advance because they sell out quickly.
A Premier Tent ticket includes the regular admission, plus it admits ticket holders to an exclusive area. This area will be offering samples of premium wines not served at the main festival, samples of cuisine from area chefs, relaxing music and private restrooms. It’s a peaceful haven away from the hustle and bustle of the main festival. Ticket holders may come and go as often as they like throughout day.
The event was not difficult to get to at all if you choose to drive. There is lots of parking and many event people wandering around just in case you have any questions. There are even shuttles running throughout the weekend that can pick you up at designated local spots in the area, if you prefer not to drive into the event.
When attending outdoor events, it’s always important to come prepared because you simply never know what the weather will be like in late September. Unfortunately, Saturday started out beautiful and sunny, then the skies opened up with pouring rain and thunderstorms for the rest of the afternoon. Today is going to be extraordinary, and I know that everyone attending is going to have a fun and relaxing day. Make sure to take the kids, they’ve got lots of good eats for them along with some activities and face painting.
The inclement weather on Saturday did not deter the many people of Maryland who turned out for the event. As a writer attending the festival for the first time, I really did not know what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. The thousands of festival-goers did not let the bad weather affect their enjoyment of the day. It was a sight to behold and a true testament to the event itself. Perhaps some of the photos will show you exactly what I mean…
The event covers a good bit of real estate, so to give you an idea of how massive it really is, I wanted to give you a quick lay of the land. In the center of it all is a covered pavilion which housed the band that continued to play through the pouring rain. I give lots of kudos to the conductor who stayed on as the band leader and Master of Ceremonies (without shelter) as the rain came pouring down…
There was lots of seating in front of the pavilion for everyone to sit and enjoy the band…and many still did, even with the rain…
There are many large, well organized tents on one side of event grounds where you will find some of Maryland’s best wineries offering tastings and selling bottles of their delicious products. You can purchase bottles of your favorite wines and enjoy it on the grounds or with your food, but opened bottles are prohibited to leave the grounds. There are local sheriffs set up throughout the event who keep tabs on what is going on and also help to manage the crowds.
There are lots of craft stalls on the opposite side of where the wineries are located, but because of the bad weather on Saturday, I could not really visit with them to enjoy their items. Some of the items I saw as I quickly strolled through were handmade jewelry and hats.
There are many food vendors scattered throughout the event that offer typical festival fare like fried dough, fried potatoes, skewered meats, pit beef and burgers…so you definitely won’t go hungry if you are planing to spend a good part of the day there!
For more information on how to get to the festival, shuttles, the wineries, the crafts people, artists and demonstrations going on throughout the weekend, make sure to visit the website for the Maryland Wine Association. Here, you will also find information on wine events for the rest of the year.
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