Apr. 13—Two Lodi women who have made impacts in different local arenas will be honored for their efforts that have either directly, or indirectly aided tourism in the past year.

Sue Tipton and Acquiesce Winery will be honored for their achievements in the wine industry during the second annual Spirit of Tourism event on May 9 from 3-5 p.m. at Hutchins Street Square.

Acquiesce Winery, located at 22353 N. Tretheway Road in Acampo, has been named Winery of the Year by Visit Lodi!, which hosts the Spirit of Tourism event each year.

"Sue has shown the world that Lodi is more than just hearty reds," Visit Lodi! president and CEO Nancy Beckman said. "She is a testament and a great example of how Lodi can grow and produce unique varietals. Sue was named the best Woman Winemaker in 2022 in the International Women's Wine Competition, bringing further recognition to Lodi as a premier wine country destination."

Tipton and her husband Rodney opened Acquiesce in 2012 and received a very warm welcome, selling out all of their wines and having to temporarily close in order to restock.

The couple reopened the following year and haven't looked back.

Last year, the winery's 2020 Viognier was voted the White Sweepstake Winner in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, beating out 52 white wines from across North America.

Tipton entered 10 wines in the competition, which is part of the annual Cloverdale Citrus Wine Fair, and received awards for each one.

For more information about Tipton and the winery, visit www.acquiescevineyards.com.

Kathryn Siddle will also be honored May 9, for her involvement with local groups such as Bike Lodi, and the Lodi Greenline project.

She is known throughout the city as an advocate for the homeless, being a member of the Lodi Committee on Homelessness and working to help the unsheltered into the new access center on Sacramento Street.

Bike Lodi is a local nonprofit that focuses on educating residents about bicycle safety and infrastructure. Created in 2015, the organization launched its first educational campaign entitled "Bike Friendly City: Lodi" in 2021.

The Lodi Greenline project has been undertaken by the City of Lodi and Bike Lodi to create a Greenline Trail for cyclists.

The trail would ultimately connect Downtown Lodi to Woodbridge.

"Kathryn is being recognized for her unrelenting work on behalf of the Lodi community, both those things that are obviously related to tourism and tourism-related activities, and those that improve the community and therefore impact tourism," Beckman said. "You may ask yourself what does working with our homeless have to do with tourism? One only needs to look to our friends in San Francisco to see how people living on the streets can impact visitation."

For more information about Bike Lodi, visit www.bikelodi.org.

The Spirit of Tourism replaced Visit Lodi!'s Annual Tourism Lunch, which was typically held during the lunch hour at Wine & Roses.

The new event was relocated to Hutchins Street Square and moved to the late afternoon.

Last year's honorees were the Coldani Family and Jeremy Wine Co.

The event is an opportunity to celebrate tourism in the Lodi community, and attendees can hear the latest updates about the area's tourism industry.

The first hour will serve as a reception for the award winners, and the second hour will feature the program and awards presentation.

Tickets are currently $35, but will be $40 after April 18. Reservations must be made by April 27 by calling Visit Lodi! at 209-365-1195, or emailing info@visitlodi.com.