The second annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival is this week with three days of events celebrating the best in Tennessee wines in Oak Ridge and West Knoxville. The festival is scheduled from Thursday, May 17, to Saturday, May 19, 2018. (Submitted photo)
A series of festivals in Oak Ridge starts tonight (Friday, May 18).
The first festival is the second annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival. It features three days of events celebrating the best in Tennessee wines in Oak Ridge and West Knoxville. The festival is scheduled from Thursday, May 17, to Saturday, May 19.
The main event is the Grand Tasting from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 19, on the waterfront at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge. This event features more than 15 Tennessee wineries pouring more than 100 locally made wines and ciders, with live music, chef demonstrations by The Savory Whisk, and wine seminars by a variety of Tennessee wine experts, a press release said.
Music will be provided by the Nashville band Arts Fishing Club and two East Tennessee bands, Wild Blue Yonder, and KUDZU.
Two other smaller events are being offered earlier in the week, a Chef’s Table Wine Dinner at The Cutting Edge Classroom in West Knoxville on Thursday, May 17, and the VIP Taste of Gold at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 18.
The festival is presented by Celebrate Oak Ridge, a nonprofit organization bringing events to the city, including the Secret City Festival on June 8-9. Nine Lakes Wine Festival is produced by the Appalachian Region Wine Producers, which emphasizes quality and wine tourism.
You can learn more about the Nine Lakes Wine Festival at www.NineLakesWineFestival.com or in this previous story.
The second festival is the second annual Flatwater Festival at Melton Lake Park on June 2, and the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival events on Friday, June 1, at the University of Tennessee Arboretum and Sunday, June 3, at the Oak Ridge Playhouse.
The Flatwater Festival includes bands, beer, boat races, and bounce houses; wine, water, and soda; and face painting, food vendors, and fun for all, including corn hole games. It’s presented by the three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge, and it will be held from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, at Melton Lake Park.
The three-day festival will be a fundraiser for the three Rotary clubs’ community service projects, including four new benches for the Oak Ridge waterfront in 2018.
The bands playing on June 2 will be the Ridge City Ramblers, 101 Degrees in the Shade, Mt. LeConte Jug Band, Jubal with Taylor Kress, Unnamed, Osborne-Krause Duo, and Little Engine.
The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will feature three world renowned storytellers. It is the first storytelling festival in the Oak Ridge area, a press release said.
Bil Lepp, Tim Lowry, and Minton Sparks will perform for the inaugural storytelling festival. They have achieved national and international recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the press release said.
For more information on the Flatwater Festival, visit www.flatwaterfestival.com or read this story.
Visit www.flatwatertales.com for more information about event times for the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, the storytellers, and ticket costs. You can also learn more about the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival in this story.
The third festival is the Secret City Festival. Events are scheduled from Monday, June 4, to Saturday, June 9. They include headline concerts by Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx at Alvin K. Bissell Park on Friday, June 8, and Little River Band on Saturday, June 9. Other events earlier that week, with some scheduled in other parts of town, include an Interfaith Music Event, a Movie Night, a Battle of the Bands, Robotics Competition, Technology Exhibition, Tennessee Creates Juried Art Festival, 75th Anniversary Parade, and activities for children.
We will have more information on the Secret City Festival later. But in the meantime, you can visit the festival’s website at https://www.secretcityfestival.com.
The fourth festival is the Lavender Festival. It’s scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 16, in Jackson Square.
The 20th Annual Lavender Festival celebrates health, herbs, and the environment. You’ll find live music under the large festival tent, shopping with artisan vendors, everything from homemade jam to fine art, a lively children’s tent, free cooking demonstrations, and educational presentations throughout the day, organizers said.
There will be a Tennessee Wine Tasting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. that will benefit the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge.
We will have more information on the Lavender Festival later. But in the meantime, you can visit the festival’s website at http://www.jacksonsquarelavenderfestival.org.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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