By Andrea McCann
Washington Times-Herald
WASHINGTON —
Fine wines and mellow music drew a large crowd to Meredith Plaza Friday night for A Wine, Cheese and Art Festival, and perfect weather kept the festival-goers happily mingling.
“It seems to be a larger crowd than last year,” said Charles Selby, Daviess County Chamber of Commerce director.
This was the second year for the event, but last year the plaza wasn’t complete. Selby said he hopes there will be more events at the plaza to bring people downtown.
“They’re enjoying this,” said Kapp Winery’s Irene Kapp about the crowd. “It’s a hit.”
She said sales were OK, but the winery wasn’t there to sell their wines. She said they attended to help the city promote its downtown park.
“We’re glad to see something like this locally,” said Caryn Miller of Bruceville, who was sampling wine and cheese with her husband, Jeff Miller, and friends Renee and JD Crowe of Bicknell. “The last time we went to a wine festival, it was clear over on the Ohio River in the eastern part of the state.”
The couples said they heard about Washington’s festival on the radio and read about it in the Times-Herald. They like Windy Knoll Winery’s products and wanted to learn more about Kapp Winery, so they decided to check it out.
From shady seats at a picnic table, they said they were enjoying the sounds of singer Keinon Delph while sampling their wine and cheese. Jeff said the $10 price for a glass and eight samples was a bargain.
“The samples are really worthwhile,” Caryn said, adding they’d probably already had a glassful, which she estimated a $5 value, and still had tickets left.
She said she liked Kapp Winery’s Harvest Blend. Renee liked the havarti cheese and Windy Knoll’s strawberry wine, which she compared to Jolly Rancher candy. JD and Jeff had high praise for the horseradish cheese.
“Windy Knoll’s Country Red is really good,” Jeff chimed in.
It was their most popular, according to Toby Williamson, who was pouring the winery’s samples. A woman from the Sullivan area said she liked it so much she bought a bottle. She was visiting with sisters Judy Lee of Carmel, Anna Mosby of Odon and Romona Clinton of Washington.
Romona and Anna will celebrate their 78th and 80th birthdays, respectively, next week. Romona said she thought the festival was very nice, and she was enjoying it.
“We played golf today, so it’s been great,” Judy said. “This is a nice way to end the day.
“This is a lot like Carmel has in our art district. It’s a nice turn-out for a city this size.”
Anna is a fan of both wineries represented at the festival.
“I’ve been to both wineries, and they’re both great,” she said.
She said jokingly she read in the paper that proceeds from the festival will support projects such as street lighting in Odon, so she thought it was her duty to support her hometown. Selby said the revenue also will help maintain the plaza, and he hopes it will help bring the community closer.
“This a wonderful event,” said Washington Mayor Larry Haag. “This is community at its best.”
He said having a downtown destination for people to come and socialize is why city officials are working so hard on the downtown area, adding Meredith Plaza, new sidewalks and curbs.
