With celebrity chefs, master musicians, and plenty of wine lovers and history buffs in attendance, the 2007 Official Kentucky Wine & Vine Fest, held in Jessamine County May 10-12, promises visitors "a healthy dose of haute cuisine, a dash of home grown, and a thorough splash of the unexpected."
The festival begins on Thursday, May 10 from 6-10 p.m. with the Annual Grape Grower's Bar-B-Q and Dance at the R.J. Corman Airplane Hangar. Participants should put their cowboy boots on and come early so they don't miss a minute of the dancing and listening pleasures of the band Wild Roses. Tickets are $12 or $15 at the door and include dinner by Good Ol' Days Catering of Midway, Kentucky.
The 2007 Kentucky Wine Fest Golf Tournament sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Nicholasville is on Friday, May 11 at Lone Oak with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Registration fees are $75 per player or $300 per 4-member team (price includes lunch).
Festival festivities continue at Lone Oak Country Club with the Annual Amateur Wine Competition and the Kentucky Wine & Vine Fest Dinner, Dance & Social, sponsored by Chrysler on NIcholasville and Nissan on Nicholasville. Jump, Jive & Wail will provide the entertainment during a wine and gourmet dinner catered by Birdie's Nest. Tickets are $40.
On Saturday, May 12, participants are invited to enjoy day-long activities in historic downtown Nicholasville, including an Arts & Crafts area, Kentucky and International Wine Tents (noon-6 p.m.), and a Kentucky Wine & Vine Fest Live Auction. Cooking with Wine Demonstrations featuring Louisiana's celebrity chef Kevin Tate from Le Zinc restaurant of Opelousas, LA and several local chefs, including noted Chef Reid Sidebottom and Chef Susie Berryman of The Kroger Company will highlight Saturday's festivities from 12:30-5:30 p.m. Demonstrations are free to watch; those who wish to taste the divine concoctions may do so for a $10 tasting fee.
Also on Saturday: for a $5.00 entry fee, festival participants can enter the First Annual Run for the Merlot (a short run to the finish line while trying not to spill a drop of precious Merlot wine). The winner will earn a signed commemorative 2007 Kentucky Wine & Vine Fest by award-winning local artist Jacob Isenhour and a basket of selected Merlot wines. Live country, bluegrass, classic rock and jazz will put a song in the hearts and smiles on the lips of festival participants throughout the day. Featured performers include Dean Osborne (bluegrass heir apparent), Cat Archer and the Cat Daddies (classic rock), Erica Martin (Country Diva) and the Dan Brock Jazz Combo.
Proceeds of the festival benefit Nicholasville NOW! a downtown revitalization and community development non-profit organization. Major sponsors include Chrysler on Nicholasville, Nissan on Nicholasville, Kroger, MedShoppe Medical, Progress Printing, Chrisman Mill Winery and Vineyards, Fox 56 WDKY, and WUKY/NPR Radio.
For more information or to pre-purchase tickets, visit www.kywineandvine.com or call Nicholasville NOW! at 859-881-3820.