Adirondack Festivals LLC, a company formed by the owners of Adirondack Winery in Lake George, is pleased to officially announce the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival, a two-day festival that will celebrate the bounty of amazing craft beverages and locally made foods that the Lake George / Adirondack region has to offer.
WHEN: Saturday, June 27th (12p-6p) & Sunday June 28th (12p-5p)
WHERE: Charles R. Wood Park, Westbrook Road, Lake George, NY
“Take your taste buds on an unforgettable journey as you are introduced to over 30 New York State craft beverage producers and food vendors, with the beauty of Lake George as your backdrop!”
CONTACT: Sasha Pardy, Owner / Stephanie Ottino, Festival Coordinator / (518) 668-9463 x15
Sasha Pardy and husband, Michael Pardy, have long dreamed about developing a wine culture in Lake George, starting with Adirondack Winery on Canada Street, which they opened seven years ago. “People don’t commonly associate our area with wine, as it is not considered an established grape-growing region. However, over the past several years, Adirondack Winery has cultivated its local and visiting customers into an ever-growing base of passionate wine lovers. In addition, numerous wineries, breweries, distilleries and cideries have opened their doors,” said Ms. Pardy. “Now, our area is home to a Wine Trail boasting 14 members and a Craft Beverage Trail with more than 20 members! What better place to showcase the amazing hand-crafted products of these businesses than Lake George?!,” Pardy exclaimed. “It’s great that our craft beverage producers will gain exposure to local residents, plus the thousands of tourists Lake George draws from all over the northeast at this event; and in addition, we believe this festival will draw new and important customers to the Lake George business community,” she added.
Stephanie Ottino, the Official Festival Coordinator (also the Events Manager at Adirondack Winery), explained that the Adirondack Wine & Food Festival will be a two-day, outdoor (rain or shine) event where 14 wineries, 2 breweries, 3 distilleries, and complementing gourmet food and wine-related vendors will set up tents and serve samples of their products, giving festival-goers the opportunity to “try before they buy”, as all vendors will be selling their bottled beverages and products for attendees to take home with them. A Festival ticket ($25 at the door, $20 pre-sale) gets the attendee access to the event for one day and a commemorative festival glass to be used to sample the hundreds of hand-crafted products available to try that day, plus take the glass home with them. “For the past two years, I have traveled New York representing Adirondack Winery at similar Festivals. From this experience, we have hand-picked all the best elements that we know it takes to put on an excellent Wine Festival and are topping that off with a location in the heart of one of the most vibrant vacation destinations in the Northeast,” added Ottino.
Pardy and Ottino have been working for several months to gain support for the event locally to put the festival on. “Local Government officials and business owners have expressed nothing but enthusiasm since we started talking about putting this event on,” said Pardy. With the expectation that the Adirondack Wine and Food Festival will draw 3,000 attendees and generate 750 room nights for the region, the Warren County Occupancy Tax Committee and the Village and Town of Lake George awarded $13,500 in funding for the event. “We have been working closely with Black Dog Designs (website & branding), Mannix Marketing (online marketing), Adirondack Broadcasting (radio) and Liberty Graphics (print marketing) to deliver a strong marketing campaign for this event, which we are confident will result in the attendance the local government and business community desires,” said Pardy, adding that the occupancy tax support is essential to launch the event in its first year, “so that we can grow this event year after year to come.”
The SUNY Adirondack Foundation has been named as the designated beneficiary of the Festival. “We wanted the Festival to be connected to a great, local cause that was also related to Wine and Food,” said Ottino. “What better group to work with than SUNY Adirondack, which has a growing Culinary Arts Program. We are proud to be donating a portion of every ticket sold to the SUNY Adirondack Foundation,” she added. SUNY Adirondack Culinary Arts Program Faculty and Students will be present at the festival showcasing their skills with Cooking Demonstrations under a special tent throughout the festival. They will also be raising money by making and serving food for attendees to enjoy.
The new Charles R Wood Park in Lake George will host the event. “The space is perfect for this event – it’s a brand new, massive green space with electricity and facilities and a view of Lake George that is bar none. Plus its location is within walking distance of plenty of parking, as well as hundreds of shops, restaurants, attractions and hotel rooms so that festival attendees can not only attend the festival, but also enjoy all that Lake George has to offer for the rest of their stay,” said Pardy. “Finally, everything is coming together in Lake George, giving locals and tourists alike the perfect venue to experience everything our region has to offer,” she added.
The Adirondack Wine and Food Festival website and ticket sales are live. Visit www.ADKWINEFEST.com for more information, images, logos, and more.
ABOUT ADIRONDACK FESTIVALS LLC:
Founded by Sasha Pardy in 2014, Adirondack Festivals LLC is based out of Queensbury, NY and is the company presenting the Adirondack Wine and Food Festival. The 1st Adirondack Wine and Food Festival will be held June 27 & 28, 2015 at Charles R Wood Park in Lake George, New York.