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Inaugural Wine Festival tickets available at Smith River Fest
The Smith River Sports Complex (SRSC) will be hosting the inaugural Wine by the River Wine Festival on September 19, 2015.
There will be seven different wineries participating in this festival including: Brooks Mill, DeVault, Hamlet, Foggy Ridge, Stanburn, West Wind, and Preston Ridge. The festival will take place at the Smith River Sports Complex beside the beautiful Smith River near the river access. The Wine by the River festival will begin at 12:00 noon on Saturday, September 19th, and the fun will continue until 6:00 pm. Along with the wine, there will be multiple craft beer samples provided by Lawrence Distributing, live music, and a variety of food and crafts provided by local artisans to compliment the experience.
A portion of the proceeds from the festival will go to the Matthew Wayne Wade foundation, a local nonprofit organization that focuses on promoting heart health. As stated by representatives of the Matthew Wayne Wade Foundation, " the Matthew Wayne Wade Foundation’s purpose is to provide education and raise social consciousness about the importance of building and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Matt Wade abruptly passed away in the summer of 2010 from a heart attack. Matt was a charismatic, fun loving individual who knew everybody in the small town of Martinsville where he was born and raised. Obviously, at the age of thirty two years old, this was a sudden and unexpected shock to anyone who knew him. Matt was a person who made the extra effort to bring people together and help others in any way possible."
Patrick Francisco, Smith River Sports Complex Facilities Manager, who introduced the idea of a wine festival stated," We feel that having the wine festival at the Sports Complex ties in active lifestyles, togetherness, and health awareness, after all, wine is good for the heart."
Along with Francisco is his fellow coworker and co-director Lloyd Barber, who is the Director of Development for Smith River Sports Complex. Barber expressed her excitement for the festival saying, “This wine festival is really a celebration of Martinsville and Henry County. People from all across the region should come to our first Wine by the River Festival to taste the wines from our local vineyards, sample food and crafts from our local shops, be entertained by local musicians, all while enjoying the afternoon by the scenic Smith River.”
Tickets to the event will be available for purchase at the Smith River Fest on August 8th and subsequently at the Smith River Sports Complex, or will become available July 31st on our website, www.srscwine.com. The fee for admission is $25.00 for persons 21 years or older and $10.00 for designated drivers and persons under the age of 21.
For further questions, please contact Lloyd Barber, Director of Development at (276) 638-5200, ext. 6 or lbarber@SmithRiverSportsComplex.com.
The Smith River Sports Complex's mission is to fulfill the community need for diverse sports opportunities, enhance the visibility and image of the Martinsville-Henry County area and, through sports tourism, bring additional revenues to support local businesses and boost economic growth in the region.