Liz Kline of Batavia said she has been coming to the annual Festival of the Vine in Geneva for 10 years and finds nothing about the fest being held this weekend that needs tweaking.
“This isn’t broken, so I keep coming back,” she said on Friday, the first day of the festival which runs through Sunday on James Street between South Fourth and South Fifth streets in Geneva.
She said “it’s a wonderful event with a lot of options for food and you get to try a little bit of each restaurant without committing to it and wondering if it’s good or not.”
The event, staged by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, is a celebration of local food, beer and wine that organizers said could draw “as many as 70,000 to 100,000 people over the weekend.”
The festival includes a craft show, a kids’ craft area and balloon show, carriage rides, a French market and plenty of live music, along with the popular food and wine booths manned by local restaurants and producers.
Johanna Patterson, communications director for the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, said the festival has been held for over 40 years and that the goal “is to highlight some of our restaurants along with a taste of delicious wine” as well as to give people a chance to enjoy live music and more.
“All of the shops are open along Third and State streets downtown and there is a craft show on the courthouse lawn that a lot of people like,” Patterson said. “It’s kind of a celebration of fall and the turning of the season for our town. It started off as a celebration of anything grown on the vine, but it has morphed into what we call our ‘Flavor Fair Tent’ where all the flavors of the restaurants and wine are on display.”
A total of 17 restaurants are represented this year “as well as several different wine tastings for different budgets as well as some beer and seltzer options and a couple pre-made cocktail options as well,” Patterson said.
One of the new vendors this year is Kim Seaman, who brought her Chicken Salad Chick dishes from Batavia.
“We feature 13 different flavors of chicken salad made fresh every day,” she said. “This is our first time here. We wanted to get our name out there in Geneva.”
She said what sets the business apart are the “flavors and the different things people don’t think of putting in chicken salad. Our top three are our classic, our Fancy Nancy which has apples, pecans and grapes, and our Sassy Scotty with ranch dressing, bacon and cheddar cheese.”
Patterson said the Festival of the Vine remains vibrant “because Geneva is unique in and of itself.”
“There are so many shopping possibilities within walking distance – right next to each other – and the fact that all of this is under one tent, right next to those shops and right next to that craft fair, it’s all right in that area and that makes our festival unique,” she said. “You can get a taste of things, pair them with the wine, and shop within a short distance, all without having to get back in your car.”
Julian Martinez of Onarga traveled almost two hours to come to the fest, explaining that his mother is a fan of the event.
“She told me the food was good and said I had to try this,” he said while eating cheese tortellini and a filet slider. “I plan on eating as many of these things as I can.”
Julian’s mother Diana Martinez admitted the trip was a bit far but that she “loves the shopping.”
“I like the set-up,” she said. “It’s open and a beautiful day. I’m not surprised at the crowds they say will be coming.”
Philip Barr of Deer Park said this was his first time attending the festival and that “he saw it on the internet and we came up with some good friends of ours.”
Barr said he was more than prepared for the wine tasting, having scoped out his choices beforehand.
“I looked online. I like a sip of wine now and then and there are a number of reds here,” he said. “If we really like this, we might come back.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
