Amherst and Nelson counties have a new summer festival coming, one that will replace the now-defunct summer fest at Oak Ridge Estate and likely will be similar to the massive Garlic Festival.
No surprise if the new festival takes on a Garlic Festival flavor and reaches Garlic Festival proportions. The new festival is being coordinated by Richard Hanson, the Garlic Festival’s creator and president of Rebec Vineyards.
The new festival will take place at the old livestock auction market near the crossroads of Virginia 151 and U.S. 29. The property, now owned by Dr. Bill Fitzhugh, is being converted to a vineyard with a multipurpose entertainment facility in the old market building. It is called Amherst Estate Vineyard.
Hanson and the owners of eight Nelson County wineries, along with the tourism departments of the two counties, will co-sponsor the festival planned for June 20 and 21.
“You will find that the new festival leans distinctly toward alternative, small-scale farm specialties like honey, mushrooms, herbs, garlic, goats, llamas, wool, local farmers’ market produce and seminars on sustainable earth-friendly agriculture,” Hanson said.
“It’s going to be our first big public event,” said Anne Hurley, project manager for Amherst Estate Vineyard, which is envisioned to be a cultural and entertainment venue for the entire region from Charlottesville to Lynchburg. The former auction facility is 40,000 square feet.
The new festival will have more wineries than the former Nelson County Summer Festival, along with arts and crafts vendors, seminars, food, local entertainers and an expanded play area to accommodate young children and teenagers.
For ticket information, call Anne Hurley at (804) 387-5548 or (434) 381-6088.
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