Hollister
– The San Juan Bautista Chamber of Commerce is adding a few new
twists to its annual Art and Wine Festival this weekend, an event
organizers hope will encourage locals and visitors alike to visit
the mission city for the last big festival of the year.
Hollister – The San Juan Bautista Chamber of Commerce is adding a few new twists to its annual Art and Wine Festival this weekend, an event organizers hope will encourage locals and visitors alike to visit the mission city for the last big festival of the year.
“It’s a wonderful event and a good chance to enjoy quality wines and quality work from the artists,” said SJB Chamber Executive Director Denise Cauthen-Wright.
This weekend’s festival will be the 29th annual, although it took a brief hiatus last year in favor of a smaller event targeted toward Hurricane Katrina relief fundraising. This year’s weekend will be somewhat smaller in scale than in the past – 60 vendors will have booths set up from 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday in downtown San Juan. Cauthen-Wright predicts that between 3,000 and 6,000 people will attend, depending on the weather. But organizers are trying a few new things to keep the weekend novel for first-time attendees and veterans alike.
The festival is a “juried” event, meaning that the artisans who will be in town this weekend had to prove that their wares were handcrafted, original works of art before they were allowed to participate. Many vendors were turned down, Cauthen-Wright said, because of the level of quality the chamber of commerce wanted to maintain.
“This means the event will be a little bit smaller this year, but you’ll know that you’re getting really good stuff,” she said.
The wine component of the Art and Wine Festival is also a fairly recent addition to the weekend, something organizers added to the mix a few years ago to differentiate this event from the numerous other craft fairs and festivals the mission city hosts each year. Several San Benito County wineries will be pouring, along with wines from South Santa Clara County. Each wine booth will also have a sitting area nearby to encourage attendants to relax and mingle.
Another new addition is a small car show of brand spanking new 2007 model cars from local dealers as well as a limousine.
“In case the men don’t want to go shopping, they can always go check out the cars or sit down with a glass of wine,” Cauthen-Wright said.
Despite the relatively low-key status of the event, organizers are hoping this will lay the groundwork for a larger festival in the future.
“Basically I hope this is a kick off for bigger and better events each year,” Cauthen Wright said.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
ds****@fr***********.com
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