Multiple sold-out events, packed venues mark another successful festival
On Saturday, the musical order of the day was rhythm and blues. At Sunday’s Food and Wine Festival finale, a little bluegrass was ordered up to bring this year’s weekend festival home.
After Anderson East rocked Main Street with his Detroit soul, the Infamous Stringdusters took the stage inside the tent in Kelsey-Hutchinson Park on Sunday with more than two hours of finger-pickin’, toe tappin’ two-step Southern bluegrass.
“What a great band and a great way to end the weekend,” said Stacy Helmsley, 34 of Atlanta, who made this her first Food and Wine Festival with her friends. “This was a fantastic weekend. Great food, great drink and some awesome entertainment.”
More than a dozen food and beverage vendors set up shop inside the tent, doling out delectable treats such as Eggs Benedict, grain salad and breakfast sliders, and washing them down with Mimosas, Bailey’s coffee, beer, wine, of course, and good old-fashioned water.
Visitors included a surprising number of young locals from across the plateau, Highlands, Cashiers and Franklin, plus regional guests of all ages.
Visitors came from across the south, Atlanta, Knoxville, Charleston, SC and Alabama, as far away as Texas to the west and Maryland to the northeast.
And they plan to come back next year.
Mobley and Kirby Jeter, both 30, of Greenville, South Carolina, already have the date tickets for the 2020 Food and Wine Festival earmarked on their calendar.
“We’ve been before and we are, for sure, making plans to come back next year,” said Mobley Jeter. “This was a fantastic weekend. We loved it.”
Kirby said the food was fantastic and enjoyed the variety of beverages.
“We know the people at Eleven Events and we’re on the list to know when next year’s tickets go on sale,” she said. “We’ll be up here for the whole weekend again.”
The festival got underway with the Grand Tasting on Thursday night at Founder’s Park. Friday followed with the “Truckin’” event at The Bascom. Food trucks and craft cocktail vendors filled the parking lot of the visual arts center for an afternoon of fun and music by The Wood Brothers.
Mother Nature cooperated with perfect weather. Full on sunshine Friday, Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid-60s.
Pat Allen, one of the sponsors of Sunday’s Shindig said every year the Food and Wine Festival gets better and better, and this year’s event was no exception.
“A great weekend and an excellent festival,” she said on her way to the stage to get the festivities underway. “We had a great turnout of local young people as well. That is always good to see.”
Charlie and Karen McManus made the six-hour drive from Nashville, Tennessee, to take in this year’s Food and Wine Festival. They said it was well worth the trip.
“This has become something we do every November,” Charlie McManus said. “We come to the mountains of Western North Carolina and Highlands, and spend the weekend at the Food and Wine Festival.”
The draw of guests making the drive up from Atlanta seemed strongest.
“We only came up for the last day of the Food and Wine Festival,” said Abby Long, who along with her boyfriend Jacob Ferris, made the drive up to catch the Sunday Shindig. “Next year we’re planning ahead.”
“We want to be here for the entire weekend,” Ferris added.