Festival Update

I am back from the wine festival and Wayne Besen should be arriving soon. The wine festival pass packed and the wineries - there were 32 attending, all from Virginia - were doing a brisk tasting and sales business. Since I needed to remain sober, I did not buy the $35 ticket for tastings at all 32 vineyards. I suspect some folks were truly getting their money's worth. I also must comment that there were MANY gorgeous guys in attendance. I did bring back with me a bottle of Barboursville Cabernet that I will enjoy later. :)

The other festival going on this weekend is the Stockley Gardens Arts Festivals (pictured above at left), sponsored in part by the Ghent Business Association (I am a member) to raise funds for Hope House. These festivals have been going on for 23 years now, twice annually- on the third weekend in May and the third weekend in October. These popular events each attract over 25,000 - 300,00 people. The money raised during these events helps Hope House assist with housing, transportation, medical needs, and various other necessities for people with developmental disabilities in Hampton Roads. The real art of this is that the events not only benefit the population served by Hope House Foundation, but the entire community. The festival is held in Stockley Gardens in historic Ghent surrounded by stately old houses and the Gothic bell tower of Christ and St. Luke's Episcopal Church which is very beautiful and like a smaller sized cathedral.

All day Saturday and Sunday, approximately 150 of the area's - as well as the nation's - finest artists exhibit a wide variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, photography, and many others. Throughout the weekend visitors can enjoy a wide variety of children's activities , live musical entertainment at the main stage and festival food vendors from across the region. A judge juries the artists who compete for the festival's cash award prizes.

If the weather is as nice as today come tomorrow, I am sure that I will stop by the Arts Festival.