Taste of Tunnel Hill Trail Wine and Art Festival

We're off to Vienna this weekend for the Taste of Tunnel Hill Trail Wine and Art Festival in the Vienna City Park. This is a first time event for us (and for them). Looks to be another beautiful day in Southern Illinois, so come on out and have a good time with us.

Taste of Tunnel Hill Trail Wine and Art Festival

Downtown Wine & Art Festival

Join us for our first wine and art show this season at the Carbondale Downtown Art & Wine Festival, Saturday, May 21 from 3:00p - 9:00p. Look for us just inside the Jackson Street entrance, right next to Alto Vineyards. We have enjoyed watching this show get better every year. This time around, I'm told they're using real glass wineglasses, no more of those acrylic things! Looks to be another great time.

Downtown Wine & Art Festival

The new season is starting for craft shows. We will be at the Midwestern Herb & Garden Show at the Times Square Mall in Mt Vernon, Illinois, this Friday through Sunday. This is a great way to get a head start on Spring.

Midwestern Herb & Garden Show

Autumnfest at John A. Logan Jr. College

This weekend is the biggest Christmas craft show in the area, Autumnfest at John A. Logan Jr. College in Carterville. This is truly the show you don't want to miss, with a huge variety of artists, and a high level of quality. You will find us in the cafeteria again this year. We like it there, as we have more room around us, and the aisles are not so packed as they are elsewhere. Ruth has been busy making soaps and lotions just for this event, and John has lots of fun wine racks for your favorite wine lover.

Saturday, Nov. 13, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Sunday, Nov. 14, 10:00 am-4:00 pm

Heritage Festival at Southeastern Illinois College

We're heading to Harrisburg, Illinois, for a first-time event for us, namely the Heritage Festival at Southeastern Illinois College. Look for us in a corner of the big room. This is the first of our big Christmas shows, so we are really looking forward to it, and looking forward to seeing you there.

Saturday, Nov. 6, 9:00am-4:00pm
Sunday, Nov 7, 9:00am-4:00pm

Colorfest

It's a double-header for Ruth and John's as we go all out to celebrate Colorfest this season.

Ruth will be at the community park in Cobden this Saturday from 10am-5pm, while John will be at Blue Sky Vineyard Saturday 10am-8pm and Sunday 12pm-8pm. The forecast looks near-perfect, so get out and see the most beautiful part of Illinois in all its fall colors, and stop by and say hello to Ruth and/or John. Really, do you want to be inside on a day like this?

9th Street Grill, Mt. Vernon, IL

We had a good show this weekend at the Illinois Wine & Art Festival in Whittington. It's always nice to be appreciated, and as frequently happens, we had a number of people stopping by who had purchased from us in festivals past. Among our new customers, one couple deserves a special mention.

If you've seen John's wine racks, you know he doesn't take wine too seriously, but loves to find new and unusual ways of showing off a collection of bottles. The owners of the 9th Street Grill in Mt. Vernon, IL, apparently share his taste, as they picked up two of my favorite pieces at this show, and they should be on display in their restaurant. One of them is a floor-standing piece made of cherry which holds 12 bottles, a full case of wine. The other also holds 12 bottles, but in a completely different fashion, and is what I call a "whirligig" (shown below).



We haven't been to the the 9th Street Grill, yet, but are looking forward to it, as it comes highly recommended. If you get there before us (quite likely, as we have a very busy fall ahead of us), drop us a line and let us know how you like it, and keep an eye out for a couple of unusual wine racks.