Sandyvale to host annual wine festival fundraiser
Sep. 8—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The eighth annual Sandyvale Wine Festival will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy, 80 Hickory St., in the Hornerstown section of Johnstown.
The event is a fundraiser for Sandyvale, with proceeds going toward its annual operating expenses.
"This enables us to maintain our equipment that we use to landscape the site, and it's very important to us so we can continue with improvements," said Diana Kabo, president of Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy. "It takes about $12,000 a year to keep the equipment updated, to replace plants and keep it mowed. We also keep the greenhouse running and provide produce free of charge to area organizations."
Funds will assist with renovations on a donated building, development of the Daniel & Marcia Glosser Memorial Gardens at Sandyvale and the creation of a healing garden.
The year's festival will feature Pennsylvania wineries that will offer tastings of their wines.
Participating wineries include Bushy Run Winery, Laurel Mountain Winery, Juniata Valley Winery, The Winery at Wilcox, Woody Lodge Winery, Allegheny Cellars Wine, Wine O'Clock Somewhere Winery, Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery, La Vigneta Winery, The Winery at Wilcox and Armstrong Cellars Winery.
"Most of the wineries have been to the festival before, and this year we picked up a few new wineries and we're happy to invite them to participate," Kabo said.
A VIP wine tasting will be held at 1 p.m., courtesy of Whitehall Lane and Trefethen of Napa Valley.
In addition, there will be more than 20 vendors selling a variety of items such as jewelry, antiques, woodcrafted decor, purses, clothing, fresh flowers and sweet treats.
Food vendors will be Balance Restaurant, Ace's, Ortega's Cuban Cafe, Rayne's Backyard BBQ and Lambcakes.
Musical entertainment will be provided by the Kenny Blake Trio and George Byich throughout the festival.
Free wine bags will be given out to the first 500 people, and attendees will receive a complimentary wine glass for the tastings.
Kabo said the festival attracts between 1,400 to 1,500 people each year.
"People are coming from all over. It's not just Pennsylvania. We have visitors from other states who keep an eye on us and they come every year," Kabo said. "It's an outdoor event, so that's a good draw because people love events that are outdoors. The atmosphere is beautiful, too."
Cost is $25 per person or $20 each if purchasing two or more tickets before Sept. 9. Tickets will be $30 at the door. Designated driver tickets are $10 at the door only.
Photo identification must be presented at the gate prior to entry.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.sandyvalememorialgardens.org.
They also are available at The Johnstown Galleria in Richland Township and Visit Johnstown, 416 Main St., downtown.
Event sponsors include The Tax Lady LLC, The Villa Crest, AmeriServ Bank, Wessel & Co., Polish National Alliance, Jim Muir-Hershberger Erie Insurance, The Boulevard Grill, 1st Summit Bank, Fi-Hoff Concrete Products, Croyle-Nielson Therapeutic, Visit Johnstown, Re/Max Power Associates, Liberty Wire and Berkebile Excavating Co. Inc.
In conjunction with the festival, the "Harvest Moon Wine Pairing Dinner" will be held at 6 p.m. Friday at Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy.
The wine dinner will be catered by Balance Restaurant, in partnership with Whitehall Lane and Trefethen, who will craft an exclusive four-course meal paired with wines from the Napa Valley wineries.
The menu will feature fresh produce and herbs grown in the Sandyvale greenhouse.
Table of eight is $100 per person. Individual tickets are $110 per person.
A limited number of tickets are available and can be purchased by calling 814-266-7891.
