Certain businesses along State and Fourth Streets in Hamburg were decorated with a bright, shiny start balloon on Friday night, March 14. Residents and guests, lined up outside of Our Town Foundation and The Gallery of Hamburg around 6 p.m. anxiously awaiting a night of good company, food and drinks. Hamburg held its first ever Wine Walk this past weekend.
The first time event featured 17 downtown Hamburg businesses that stayed open late and provided walkers with a combination of wine, food, discounts and raffles. As the night grew closer more and more tickets were being sold with approximately 170 tickets sold on the night of the walk.
Walkers began at the gallery where they received their glass and map to the self-guided tour that not only offered them wine tastings and food, but also introduced attendees to some of the businesses in Hamburg. A few walkers even came prepared with wine glass holders from other wine related festivals.
As the tour began, walkers filed into the businesses and spoke with owners and employees as well as enjoyed what each stop had to offer. In The Hamburg Area Item Office, walkers were able to taste Red Vixen from Antler Ridge Winery, Mertztown, and have a taste of Uncle Paul’s Stuff Pretzel (which just opened a stand at the Leesport Farmers Market on March 19), as well as enter a raffle for a year subscription to one of the Berks-Mont Newspapers, take a discount flyer and take a look at both The Item and The Kutztown Area Patriot. Participating businesses had all sorts of prizes, wines and appetizers for the walkers.
Many of the attendees that stopped into The Item office were having a good time at the event and are looking forward to coming back again for such an event. Quite a few of the people from the participating businesses made the rounds on the tour to check out what the others had for the night as well.
Proceeds from the tickets for the walk benefited the downtown business OPEN flags fund.
Participating businesses included: The Gallery of Hamburg, Hecky’s Sub Shop, Cross Keys Insurance, B’s Boutique, Blue Mountain Herbals, Dietrich’s Men’s Shop, Second Chance Boutique, Willow Tree Primitives, Bestonium, Russo’s Pizza, Hamburg Strand, Hamburg Area Item, The Doris Berry Shop, Steinmetz Jewelers, Miller’s 5 & 10, Hamburg Buy & Sell and Necessities New & Used Furniture.
The Wine Walk was organized by Hamburg Southgate Neighborhood.
Next up for Our Town Foundation is the Art of the Brew Beer Fest which is set for May 3 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Hamburg Field House. Join us for Hamburg’s first ever beer fest. The ticket price includes beer samples from 15+ breweries, live music by The Barren Wells and Uncle Jake’s 18 Wheel Gang, a logoed tasting glass and a burger/chicken sandwich meal provided by Deitsch Eck Restaurant (winner of the 2013 Taste of Hamburg-er Festival’s People’s Choice Award). Tickets are available in advance or at the door. There are also cheaper tickets for designated drivers. To purchase tickets or learn more about the event go to www.hamburgpa.org and click on ‘event,’ or call 610-562-3106. Proceeds for the beer fest will benefit the Hamburg Southgate Neighborhood.
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