2nd annual International Food and Wine Fest This Weekend
Corks will be popped and glasses filled. Chefs will be demonstrating how to make their specialities. Music from all genres will fill the air and local artisans will be showing off their wares.
This is just a sampling the delights to be found at the 2nd annual Putnam County International Wine Festival to be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11 and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12 at Veteran Memorial Park on Gipsy Trail Road in Carmel.
A native of Jamaica, 17-year Putnam County resident Lauren Drummond said during her time as an entertainment journalist she traveled far and wide covering festivals. While she saw some of these types of events in Westchester County, she said she wanted Putnam County to have one to call it’s own. “It’s a very pretty place, very attractive to tourists. I wanted to put on the festival to help build tourism and to help strengthen economic development,” Drummond said, noting another motivation to having an international flare to the event. “It’s to share different cultures, and you don’t have to travel far. You can go to the wine festival and experience [them].”
The fest promises more than 200 different wines produced from vineyards in New York and Massachusetts and beyond. Drummond said that the chef from New York City’s Spur Tree will be on-hand demonstrating how to make Jamaican cuisine and offering spectators samplings of his creations.
As of early last week, Drummond said that an estimated 500 people already had purchased tickets to the fest. Metro-North Railroad has been actively promoting the event. After disembarking from the train in either Southeast or in Cold Spring, Drummond has arranged for shuttle buses to ferry people to the festival site.
Drummond also said the park will be filled with the sound of live music throughout the fest.
As just a small sampling, the Putnam County-based Jim Marrone Trio will take the stage on Saturday afternoon from 2:40 p.m. to 4 p.m. producing a wide array of tunes from soul to pop to rock and jazz. They have been described as a group likely to play Frank Sinatra and The Black-Eyed Peas in the very same set.
Following the trio, the Reignjah Band ,comprised of three vocalists and an eight-piece band, will perform their powerful and versatile blend of Zouk, Compa (Creole), Soca, Calypso, Reggae and R&B.
Children’s entertainment at the fest will be provided by Kidz on the Go and Macaroni Kid.
Tickets for adults, 21 years and older, include admission, parking, wine tasting, a keepsake wine glass and a gift bag while supplies last for those who arrive early. There are discounted tickets for senior citizens, 65 years or older, as well as for younger people attending, ages 12 up to 21 and children under the age of 12 years will be admitted for free.
The ticket prices are as follows: purchased prior to the event online, early bird tasting tickets are $25 for one day and $45 for both days; VIP tickets, which additionally include food and three drinks, are $75 for one day and $145 for both days; the day of the event, wine-tasting tickets will be $30 for one day and $50 for both days. And for those who will not be imbibing, a $10 per day ticket is available for official designated drivers.
Lastly, the lucky winner of a raffle will go home with a 4-day vacation for two at the Round Hill Hotel & Villas in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
For more information on the festival, please visit www.putnamcountywinefest.com
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
