Two breweries, 24 wineries and 20 other vendors will be set up around Riverfront Park in Cottonwood on Saturday, May 9, for the eighth Verde Valley Wine Festival.
The festival, which is the day before Mother’s Day, will open at 11 a.m. and go to 6 p.m.
“We’re honoring the mothers and families,” Verde Valley Wine Consortium President Paula Woolsey said, and the goal is to encourage younger people and families to come.
Because of the volume of vendors, it takes a while to set everything up, Woolsey said.
And, because the consortium isn’t exclusively Verde Valley wineries, including some from Wilcox and Patagonia, some vendors need to come up early.
“We’ve got a group of food trucks that are from Canada, that winter in Phoenix, and they make use of the event as their laststop before they go to Canada,” Woolsey said. “A corn dog and poutine truck, and we’ve got the Gravy Train at that one, and then we’ve got … Bachelor Pad Barbecue, Campfire Grill.”
Another favorite, Woolsey said, is Fat Man and the Redhead, a snack and bakery vendor based out of Tempe.
Complimentary water will also be available throughout the venue this year.
In addition to the food and wine, live music will be performed by Hugh Mungus, Muddy Rabbit and the Naughty Bits!Woolsey said the festival’s ticket prices will be lower than previous years, with one being $20 in advance on verdevalleywinefestival.com and $25 at the gate.
“You get six tasting tickets and a commemorative glass when you show up,” Woolsey said. “Either in advance ticket sales, or at the door, you get your glass, and you roll in. And then, general admission for nondrinkers and designated drivers is $10.”
This year, there’s also a complimentary shuttle service provided for festival goers.
“Sedona Wine Tours is our sponsored jolly trolley to get people to and from parking, which is really helpful,” Woolsey said.
The festival also has a $25 wine pull, which will get you a wine of at least $25 in value.
“We’ve got the wine valet this year, so if you don’t want to schlep yourwines around, you can check them in at the wine valet,” she said. “No charge, we’ll hold the wine for you so your arms don’t get tired schleppingall those bottles of wine.”
Because it’s at Riverfront Park, the city’s Parks and Recreation department announced it would partially close the venue ahead of time, beginning Thursday, May 7, and will remain closed through Sunday, May 10.
“We ask the public not to enter the parking lot and field by the playground as the festival setup will be taking place in these areas,” the city stated in a press release. “We encourage the public to use amenities that will remain open such as the skate park, disc golf, skate rink, and other public parks such as the Cottonwood Kids Park and Garrison Park.”
Contact Community Services Director Jak Teel at 928-639-3200 or jteel@cottonwoodaz.gov for questions or concerns on the park’s temporary closure.
