The Great PA Flavorfest 2011

Welcome to FlavorFest!

Last Saturday we attended the Great PA Flavorfest at the Renaissance Fairgrounds in Manheim, PA. The weather was HOT this day and the crowds were found sitting in the shade rather then at the tasting tables but nonetheless we had a mission. We are not big wine drinkers but we do like a nice glass on a special occasion. Last year we tasted wine from lots of PA wineries and fell in love with two companies that are way too far away for us to visit. We didn't get enough bottles to last the whole year and were hanging on to the last bottle like it was gold. Well we broke open that bottle when we decided to go to Flavorfest again this year. So of course we were prepared a little more this trip around.



Our Last Bottle



The wineries are spread out across the whole fairgrounds which is HUGE! Unlike the MD Renaissance Faire they have paved walkways, which takes away from the Renaissance but not festivals such as this one. The hills are also horrible. They are too steep and you will feel like passing out once you climb up the steep "mountain" to your next destination. There isn't a lot of shade either and when you find a bit of heaven under a tree there are swarms of people there taking up all the room.

 If you plan on attending a event here be prepared. Bring your walking shoes! Flip flops were not a wise chose for me. Bring you sunblock! You will burn under the hot rays with little shade to go around. Bring a empty bag! If you plan on purchasing only one bottle at each table you will be stuck without a carrier. Bring a bag and there will be no problems. If you plan on buying lots of wine then they provide carriers and even have a wine pickup on the way out. They send your purchase to the exit so you don't have to lug around a case while you explore the rest of the wineries. Bring your lunch! There are food places available to purchase your lunch but prices are high and the food is up the biggest hill there. I avoid the hill like the plague. Most of all bring your wallet! Even though this is a free event we want our local businesses to thrive. The bottles run around $10-$18 at most places but there are some wines that are exceptional and run around $20-$25 a bottle. These are amazing prices for such amazing wines. Here's another tip. If your a wine fanatic you might want to bring a pen and pad to write down which wine was your favorites. There are so many there and you are drinking so much wine you will get confused.



Wine Check Pick Up station as you leave.



I told you cheese was good for me.


Now yes they is a lot of wine drinking going one, it is a wine festival, but they also have some activities for the kiddies too. Set up in the children's garden are different stations to attend. All activities were either food related or Pennsylvania related. First Bridget created Noodle Art by gluing her dry noodles to paper to make a design. She made a noodle angel! Very creative. Next stop was the Hex Sign Craft where kids got to create their own hex signs using crayons on paper plates. They had examples of PA hex signs there for you to copy or get a idea of your own. Bridget didn't get the hex sign thing but did draw a beautiful picture. The other craft was more for a older child and I ended up doing the activity while Bridget relaxed. It was Rainbow Food Pyramids. We all done these in camp, the two Popsicle sticks making a X then yarn to wrap around each stick making a cool design. Bridget got it but got bored fast. There was tee shirts that you got to use fresh produce and paint to print designs on for a fee of $5 in which we didn't do. Where do you keep the shirt until it dries? Others left if there but that means you had to hike back to the area before leaving. Not for us. They also had face painting for $5 and over sized chess and checker pieces to play a game. The only entertainment for the kids was a guy on stilts making balloon animals that popped 5 minutes later due to the heat. It only took us a little time to do each activity but it made Bridget happy and she got to take home a souvenir.
                               

After the kids have their fun you can trek around to each stand for wine tasting. I tried so many wines I lost count and it was the first time in a long time I did something adult like. Thank you FlavorFest! The best wine still was my favorites from last year.

Franklin Hill Vineyards are family owned and operated for 27 years. The winery is located at the foothills of the Pocono Mountains with a view of the Delaware River Valley. They have free tours on scheduled days as well. Sounds nice right? I wouldn't know because we never travel that far ourselves, yet. They did tell me they ship though so check them out online. If your in the area here is where they are located and their hours:

Open: Mon-Sat 11-5, Sun 12-4
7833 Franklin Hill Road, Bangor, PA 18013
I recommend the Mango, Strawberry Kiwi and Blueberry wines that are featured in the photo above. Also the Sir Walter's Red is amazing, I just ran out of money.

Schokoladenkirshwein is like drinking a glass of chocolate covered cherries. So yummy! Also it's tradition I started on my birthday to celebrate with a glass of mimosas. The Sparkling Peach Wine is perfect for such a drink. I think the thing that sold me on this winery is the staff. They were all so nice. Having a child with me at a wine fair gets on the nerves of those at other fairs but here they interacted with her and even kept her busy so I could taste a chose which wine I wanted to buy. They are very sweet people here and I love helping a company where the employees love their job. It says a lot for their business. Wilcox is located at 1867 Mefferts Run Rd. Wilcox, PA 15870 and they are opened daily. They also sell at shops in Dubois, State College and Pittsburgh, PA. You can check them out online to for order information.

We can't visit any event in PA without a trip to the Alpaca's. Yes they are beginning to be the most popular pet to have when you got the room for them. They use their fur to make anything from hats to little dolls. Their fur is super soft and everyone loves petting them.They are not too friendly but they are not mean either. Most kids just chase them until they get tired and give up. Bridget loved the animals, as always. No fear in my kid when it comes to animals. Here she is feeding a alpaca.
                   

We see some wacky stuff around but this one took the cake and I had to share. Mad Toms Wreck Room is most likely the stupidest thing I have ever witness. You pay for a breakable item such as bottles, plates, and statues and then you can smash it against the wall in the back of the hut with the big bullseye on it. People are constantly doing this as well. They are making a fortune off of these silly people that think it's awesome to break stuff. That worries me. "You Buy It You Break It" is there slogan. I curious to see how many of my readers would do such a thing. Are you a sucker too? I'm not! The worst part is the sound it makes when something breaks. It's unexpected and when you are at a wine festival with millions of glass wine bottles around you it doesn't sound good. Thank Mad Toms Wreck Room for making my brain hurt.

A trip to the fairgrounds won't be complete without a trip to the pirate ship. This is a huge permanent structure for the pirate village. Bridget just loves seeing the treasure boxes and skeleton bones lying around the ship. There are also little spots throughout the faire that will amaze the kids, such as the lion that makes us roar or the wishing well where you get to ring a bell when you make a wish. Other artisans are opened during this festival but not many. Most of the craft vendors are from outside sources and set up tents. There isn't as many food vendors there this year and I only got to sample some hummus and nuts. That was a bit disappointing. Maybe I just didn't see the food from where we were traveling. I do know that I missed out on the food demonstrations that day because we arrived 2 hours before they closed. It is something to check out if you get there from the morning.
                          
                    

Another big attraction of this event is the live bands. There are different bands playing throughout the day here on multiple stages. They are nice low key music like folk or smooth rock. Nothing to get you a headache which is nice. Not too many people sit around for the bands as much as they enjoy the sound from the winery booths.  Now mind you that this picture was taken at the end of a hot day right before the festival ended but the band still rocked it for a handful of people.

Other then the heat and loads of walking, we had a great time. I was worried that Bridget would loose interest fast since it was so many grown up things to do but she was great and said she had a lot of fun. If you didn't get to make it to the FlavorFest this year mark you calendars now for next year's. The festival is always on the Memorial Day weekend. You can't miss it. I think I will go and have a glass of wine now.