Last summer, the inaugural Cardington Wine & Arts Festival was a huge success, and Friends of Cardington are looking to achieve even higher heights with this year’s event. Food trucks, vendors, andwineries will descend on the village’s park, set between East Main Street and Park Avenue, on Sept. 16 where crafters and winemakers will be set up throughout the green space surrounding the stage, shelter house and log cabin.
Cardington’s own Bunker’s Mill Winery, owned by Jerry Newell and Rick Mitchell, will be the host of the event, coordinating the logistics with the Friends of Cardington for the day. The festival will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Tickets for purchasing glasses of wine are $20 for eight tickets, including this year’s commemorative glass. Additionally, tickets can be bought for $2 apiece or six tickets for $10. Extra glasses will be sold at $5. The festival glass is required for tasting at winery booths.
Ten total wineries, including Bunker’s Mill Winery, plan to be present for this year’s event. Those in attendance will be Cote Winery of Mount Gilead, Shamrock Vineyard of Waldo, Wishmaker House Winery and Bed & Breakfast of Bellville, Oak & Brazen of Delaware, Blend of Seven of Delaware, Funky Turtle Meadery of Toledo, Winery at Versailles of Versailles, Plum Run Winery of Grove City, Boke’s Creek of Raymond, and Lincoln Way Vineyards of Wooster.
Seven food trucks will be lined up in the closed section of Park Avenue, serving cuisines from Asian to American. They include Kings Krossing, Culinary House, Gyro Corner, Tortilla Street Fair, Kat’s BBQ, Tito’s Asian Kitchen and Riverside Ice Cream.
Within the small community park, 30 craft vendors will be spaced out along the sidewalks and shelter house area. Paintings, wood carvings, and other art projects are among the items that will be up for sale throughout the day.
Three music groups will be featured on the main stage in the park and each will be playing for a three-hour block. After Silver, a father-daughter duet from Marion, will take the stage to begin the festival from noon to 3 p.m. The second act is the jazz band of Cardington-Lincoln alumnus Neil Ebert called “Rare Vintage.” The band out of Ashland, Ohio, will perform from 3-6 p.m. To close out the day, Cardington’s own Steamtown Road, led by Pirate alumnus Rick Landi,s will play until the festival ends at 9 p.m.
For more information or questions, contact the Friends of Cardington via its Facebook page.
Quinn Maceyko is a correspondent for the Morrow County Sentinel.
