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05/22/2018 02:30 PMThere’s no better way to celebrate the summer-like weather than by attending the Chester Fair’s seventh annual Wine and Beer Tasting, which will be held Saturday, June 2 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Chester Fairgrounds on Kirtland Terrace.
In addition to the wine and beer vendors, attendees can also enjoy entertainment by the band Jekyll and Hyde and food sold by local restaurants. Souvenir tasting glasses will also be sold at the event.
Charlene Janecek, Nina Sulinski, Pat Hartman, Nancy McGee, Kip Miceli, and event chair Michelle St. Marie are the dedicated crew who each year make the event happen.
“Now it’s a skeleton crew, but it runs itself now,” McGee said. “It’s become so popular that we usually get a good crowd from word of mouth.”
The event is continuing to expand. Attendees will get a chance to sample a huge variety of wines, beers, and ciders as well as meet vintners, distributors, brewers, and even home brewers/vintners.
Returning vendors include breweries Two Roads, Thimble Island, Back East Brewing, and Sound View Brewing; fresh mixer maker Ripe; home brew/winemakling resources Stomp and Crush and Middlesex Malters; and distributors Traveling Vineyards, Hartley and Parker, CDI (Connecticut Distributors), World Wide, and Winebow.
New this year are the Thomas Hooker and Cottrell breweries, Stanley Farm Winery and Cidery, home-brewer club MASH, and distributors Hartford Distributors, Northeast Beverage, Brescome Barton, Optic, Sterling, and Slocum.
Some of the food vendors that are confirmed for this year include The Villager, Dough on Main, and Brick Oven Pizza. The cost of food is not included with the $20 admission to the event.
The event is sponsored by the Chester Package Store and will be held rain or shine. Admission is $20 at the gate only and all of the proceeds will go toward the Chester Fair educational programming.
In addition to the fair’s two annual scholarships to local students, McGee said the committee has been bringing more educational exhibits to the fair. That can be expensive, bit for the fair committee, it’s well worth it.
“We understand it’s a carnival, but we’re trying to make sure it continues to be the Chester Fair Agricultural Mechanical Society so we’re trying to bring back” the agricultural education aspect, McGee said.
While the Chester Fair Committee loves animals, there are no animals allowed at this event unless they are service dogs with the proper certification.
For event or scholarship information, call 860-526-5947 or email remcgee@snet.net. Brewers, winemakers, or distributors who would like to participate in this year’s event may contact Rob Miceli at 860-526-9245 or ert14m@sbcglobal.net.
The other 3 were provided by Nancy McGee and are of last year’s Wine and Beer Tasting: