Wine aficionados rejoice!
The 11th Annual Elma Winter Wine Festival is scheduled to be held noon to 9 p.m. on Jan. 20 at the Grays Harbor Fair and Event Center in Elma. Attendees will be treated to a food, drink, and entertainment.
The yearly festival is a major tourism event for Elma, typically bringing in 2,000-3,000 people from around the region, according to Paula Jones, a member of the Elma Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors.
The Elma Chamber is responsible for organizing the event, which requires some 60-70 volunteers to put on.
“What’s very nice is that most of them come back year after year because it’s a lot of fun,” Jones said. “They have a good time. We give them a shirt that says ‘wino volunteer’ and they like that.”
The festival usually hosts mor than 20 vendors in addition to about 20 wineries, Jones stated.
Aspiring vendors can apply at elmachamber.org while wineries should call and speak with the chamber directly at (360) 482-3055. Jones was in the process of going through Vendor applications when she spoke with The Vidette on Dec. 27.
“We like (them) to tie in with the wine festival in some way,” she said of the applicants.
Most of the wineries showcased at the event return year after year, Jones added, though there are several new ones this year which haven’t participated in the past.
As with previous years, attendees will enjoy opportunities for wine tasting, as well as wine purchases, a beer garden, food booths, gifts and merchandise, and a silent auction.
Entertainment will include performances by Six Pack Pretty, a Harbor-area band performing 1970s through contemporary music; Ericka Corban, a past contestant of the TV show The Voice from Grays Harbor; Fever 103, a Foreigner tribute band; acoustic guitarist Carlyn Hart.
Tickets ($10 to $20 depending on the “package”) are available at Les Schwab Tires and GH Wine Sellers in Aberdeen, Whitney’s Chevrolet in Montesano, and Les Schwab Tires in West Olympia. In Elma, tickets are available at Les Schwab, Liquor & the Like, Elma Variety Store, and the Elma Chamber of Commerce.
Attendees save $5 by making their purchase in advance. Credit card purchases of tickets can be made by calling the Elma Chamber.
Stay Beyond Inn & Suites in Elma and Elma RV Park also are offering discounts to festival attendees who stay with them.
“We’re really excited about it,” Jones said of this year’s festival. “In January there’s really not a lot going on, so people really do look forward to this. We do have some new entertainment this year … so even if they’ve come before, we try to keep it fresh and different. … It just seems to grow each year.”
(Photo courtesy of Elma Chamber of Commerce) The Elma Winter Wine Festival, now in its eleventh year, is scheduled for Jan. 20 at the Grays Harbor Fair & Event Center.
(Photo courtesy of Elma Chamber of Commerce) The Elma Winter Wine Festival, now in its eleventh year, is scheduled for Jan. 20 at the Grays Harbor Fair & Event Center.
(Photo courtesy of Elma Chamber of Commerce) The Elma Winter Wine Festival, now in its eleventh year, is scheduled for Jan. 20 at the Grays Harbor Fair & Event Center.
