Celebrate wine, art, food, music

Arts & Entertainment

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

3-4 p.m. — The Naughty Neighbors

4 p.m. — Crystal Bindi Studios

4:15 p.m. — Kimmy O Shimmy

4:30-5:30 p.m. — Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk

5:30 p.m. — Kimmy O Shimmy

5:40 p.m. — Northern Starlets

6-7:30 p.m. - Orpheum Bell

7:30 p.m. — Urban Elements Dance Crew

7:45 p.m. — Northern Starlets

8 p.m.-close — Rusted Root

Related Photos

Pittsburgh band Rusted Root will unveil songs from its upcoming album at the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival Saturday, June 30, at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. Special to the Record-Eagle
More than 150 wines from Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Benzie counties will be available for sampling at the Travere City Wine & Art Festival on Saturday, June 30, at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. Special to the Record-Eagle

June 29, 2012

Celebrate wine, art, food, music

Organizers expect more than 3,000 people Saturday

By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS mdrahos@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Sun Jul 01, 2012, 01:13 PM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City Wine & Art Festival is gaining national recognition in its fourth year, perhaps following on the coattails of recent national coverage of the region as a vacation destination.

"Traverse City has gotten this amazing rep for wine," said Andy McFarlane of the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association, which created the festival to celebrate the wine, food and culture of Michigan's wine coast. "Ours was THE major event in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (All Over the Map travel section) and THE major event in the Chicago Tribune's 'Weekend Getaways.' This is the first year Traverse City is all of the sudden on the national stage for wine."

More than 150 of those wines — from white and red to sparkling — will be available for sampling at this year's festival, Saturday, June 30, at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. Admission includes a commemorative wine glass and two full-glass wine tickets, with additional half-glass wine tickets available for purchase at the event.

The festival is valuable exposure for operations like Blustone Vineyards, the newest winery on the Leelanau Peninsula.

"We're trying to build awareness of us, who we are, so when people see our bottles in stores and on the restaurant menu they connect with us," said owner Tom Knighton, who named the vineyards after "Leland Blue," a stony by-product of ore smelting that's found on area shores. "And we hope when they see our tasting room (later) in the summer, they'll come visit us."

Knighton said the winery will bring eight core wines and a couple of special vintages, including its multiple-award winning 2010 Chardonnay and 2010 Pinot Noir. It also will use the festival to introduce its casual red wine, Ad Lib.

"It's a very easy drink, almost a semi-sweet red wine," said Knighton, whose goal is to make high-quality wines that are not only interesting but easy to enjoy.

While wine from Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Benzie counties gets top billing, art also is a festival focal point.

"It's like a show within a festival," said festival art chairman Dawn Thomas, of the festival's juried art show and sale in all price ranges. "We looked for the highest of quality, a nice variety of mediums, very nice booth presentation. Probably uniqueness and originality were the most important criteria."

Thomas said festival artists were whittled down from 50 or 60 hopefuls to about two dozen, including Grand Rapids "fine angler" artist Becca Schlaff, whose work captures the colors and patterns of fish scales and fins, and Upper Peninsula landscape photographer Shawn Malone, known for her Northern Lights images.

Most, like precious metal-and-stone jeweler Nina Mann and mixed-media artist Linda Chamberlain, are nationally known.

"In this community, a lot of times the more accomplished they are nationally, the less people know them locally," said Thomas, a board member of ArtCenter Traverse City, which helped with the show. "They're not in the local circuit as much and that's why I'm so excited we've got all these people gathered together in one place, which is a major accomplishment."

Entertainment and gourmet cuisine round out the festival, which attracts between 2,000 and 3,000 visitors, McFarlane said. Officials expect to surpass that number "greatly" this year, he said.

Pittsburgh band Rusted Root will headline the entertainment bill, which includes music, dance and burlesque. The band, known for its fusion of acoustic, rock, world and other music styles, will preview songs from its upcoming album, due out in late fall.

Area restaurant fare, available for purchase for between $5 and $8, will include Truffled Shallot, Portabella and White Cheddar Mac and Cheese from Poppycock's, and Blackened Whitefish with Creamy Herb Slaw and Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Bread from Siren Hall.

Also on the menu: Jambalya from Mana, Antipasto Skewers form Bourbons 72, Porcetta Sandwiches with Salsa Verde from Trattoria Stella, and Grilled Eggplant with Ricotta, Sundried Tomatoes, Spinach and Fresh Minced Garlic in Homemade Marinara, topped with Fresh Walnut Pesto from Little Bohemia.

Om Cafe, which has yet to open in the former Loading Dock space, will preview its vegetarian and vegan cookery with Traditional Stir-Fry, Organic Brown Rice and Vegetables.

Festival hours are 3-10 p.m.. Tickets are $25 at the door and $20 in advance at TREATickets.com, traversecitywinefestival.com and ArtCenter Traverse City. Babes in arms can accompany their parents but no strollers or toddlers are allowed.

KidzArt of Traverse City will host an All Arts Camp indoors above Cuppa Joe at Building 50 for children 2 and older. Painting, creating, and exploring projects for all ages will be provided for a cost of $5 per hour.