LEWES, Del. - Discounted early bird tickets have been put on sale for the 8th Annual Southern Delaware Wine Food & Music Festival.
“This event is the very best of coastal Delaware – our restaurants, chefs, breweries, wine and liquor merchants and musicians,” said Executive Director Stacy LaMotta. “We are expecting a sold-out crowd again this year.”
The festival will take place at Nassau Valley Vineyards in Lewes on Saturday, September 16th from 12 to 3:30 pm.
“We are so excited to be in our new venue supporting an amazing non-profit – Head Start Delaware,” said LaMotta, who founded the festival in 2014. “We are so proud to not only provide an extraordinary experience for our guests but additionally raise over 220,000 dollars for various local charities over the past seven years. Our first year we raised $12,000 for our designated charity,” said LaMotta. “Last year’s recipient, Pathways to Success, received $38,000.”
The festival says that this year's recipient is Head Start and Early Head Start, who provide high-quality early childhood education programs for children birth to 5 years old. They say the service is given at no cost to families.
“We embrace diversity and welcome children and families of all backgrounds and abilities including those with special needs,” said Laura Bartus, Communications & Engagement Manager for Children & Families First. “We accept applications year-round and our staff is fluent in English, Spanish and Creole.”
They say Head Start has 13 centers in Sussex and Kent counties.
According to the festival, they are widely known for providing many different culinary experiences with award-winning chef. They say guests will get the opportunity to try items from 20 local restaurants and beverages that include more than 100 varieties of wines, craft beers, and cocktails.
The festival says that it will feature live music in three different areas across the vineyards.
They also say that the signature event of the festival, The Chef Throwdown, will have a unique twist this year: two teams of creative chefs will battle in a "chop-style" competition.
Other festival activities include a silent auction with special packages to bid on, a wine wall and more.
They say that the festival is not only an amazingly indulgent day of wine, food & music, but also a celebration of life, laughter, friendship, and togetherness that gives back to and strengthens the community.
For information on becoming a sponsor, to volunteer or to purchase a ticket: www.sodelfest.com. Only the first 100 tickets are sold at the early bird price.