By Taylor Boyd
The Town of Stuart will hold its 7th annual Wine & Beer Festival on Saturday, April 2, from 12-4 p.m. at the Stuart Farmers’ Market.
Town Manager Bryce Simmons said the event was created to go along with the town’s other major festivals – the Strawberry and Apple Dumpling festivals.
“But this (event) became basically the starting springtime festival for the town,” he said.
Simmons said the festival tends to be lowkey, and is a smaller event than the other two festivals – which require the town to shut down streets.
Billy Gammons said the festival will hopefully bring people to town to “take advantage of some of our businesses and shops here, and do a little bit of shopping before and after the festival itself.”
“It’s meant to be a tourist attraction for the Town of Stuart to get people together,” Simmons added.
While the festival has traditionally been held on Slusher Street, it was moved to the Farmer’s Market “to take advantage of the beautiful space,” Simmons said.
To help those with mobility issues, he said the town plans to have golf carts on-site to provide transport.
Onsite local wineries will include Villa Appalaccia Winery, Childress Vineyards, Woolds Acre Fruit Wines, and Stanburn Winery.
One Family Productions will do the beer sales this year.
“Prior to this year it’s been strictly wine, but we have had some requests for beer sales, and we have partnered with One Family Productions to provide that addition,” he said.
Other vendors include Henry’s Coffee and Fairy Tails, which does fairy hair.
The Shooter’s Club will offer hotdogs, hamburgers, and barbeque for purchase.
Local musicians include Slick Jr. and the Reactors and Marcie Horne.
The event was last held in 2020, according to Gammons, who said it was cancelled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Admission is free and there is a $10 wine tasting fee that includes a free Town of Stuart Wine and Food Festival wine glass.
