Community Corner
Burke Centre Festival: The Wine Garden
Festival goers "wined" down with drinks, food and music
As the vendors at Burke Centre Festival tore down their booths and shut down their grills at 5 p.m. the first day, the Wine Garden was just getting started.
The event, which ran until 10 on Saturday evening, attracted a crowd who wanted to enjoy a glass of wine and some fresh snacks. Live music, the company of friends and a cool, late summer evening made for a relaxing atmosphere.
Acoustic trio Rough Draught began the night with a mix of instrumental songs and covers of well known classic rock tracks. Their session set the scene for the following outfits to contribute to the the relaxed ambience. Musician Joe Rathbone continued the entertainment, performing on the rear deck of the Burke Centre Conservancy's offices. Kristen Furey and duo Marbin Music rounded out the evening.
The Wine Garden featured fine wines from Three Fox Vineyards, whose owners Holli and John Todhunter own a home in Burke. "Our Gatto Bianco and Sirius wines have been the most popular tonight," explained Dale Long as she poured wine and sold bottles to a steady stream of attendees.
Joe Miller and Romel Maldenado, of Shirley's Catering, provided cheese, fresh fruit and crackers as palette cleansers for the wine drinkers. He explained that food wasn't available at previous Wine Garden events at the Burke Festival. "They wanted to expand the Wine Garden to include food since the attendance has increased over the past years," stated Miller.
For attendees Mike Silva and Alison Guinasso, this was their first year attending the event. "We walked over specifically for the Wine Garden," explained Silva.
As they enjoyed glasses of red wine and the live music, Guinasso spoke about why they attended. "I love to support local communities and small businesses," she explained as she sipped her drink. She suggested that the event could be improved by having more food available and more than one winery represented. Gesturing towards the crowd, she said, "These people have money and the event would make a lot more."
