What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/989504
JOCELYN MURPHY NWA Democrat-Gazette E ighteen years ago, the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville began the state's premier wine festival, Art of Wine. Last year, with the venue's expansion and renovation complete, it was like hosting an all new event. Now, organizers have regrouped and are returning June 8-9 with what they expect to be the best festival year so far. "It's really interesting when you get new spaces because you don't know what you don't know," Taylor Speegle says with a laugh. Speegle is the director of corporate relations at Walton Arts Center and remembers the festival from 10 years ago when he was a house manager. "So we kind of lived within our normal model of Art of Wine last year and took notes, tried to decide how can we make some changes, how can it be fun and interesting and different?" A few of those changes are small — like adding a cigar area to the whiskey tastings and beer garden activations — and others will be more extensive. "Art of Wine started 18 years ago as a garden party, and so with the revamp of the event, we're bringing it back to its roots a little bit," reveals Amy Freeman, corporate relations manager at the WAC. In the past, Freeman says, the venue looked exactly the same during the festival as it would for the evening of a show — but filled with 800-plus wines. Not so, this year. "It's going to look completely different. Lots of greenery, deep purples, emerald greens — we're calling it the enchanted garden theme." In addition to the new educational "sense experience" taking place in the Joy Markham Pratt Gallery space the first night of the festival, another major change is to the actual schedule. Where 4 WHAT'S UP! JUNE 3-9, 2018 FAQ Art of Wine Festival WHEN — Uncorked! at 7 p.m. June 8; Wine- maker's Dinner at 6 p.m. June 9 WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville COST — Winemaker's Dinner, $225/person; Uncorked!, $75; VIP ticket, $150 INFO — 443-5600 or waltonartscenter.org WAC festival returns fresh and renewed Courtesy Photo The Walton Arts Center's annual Art of Wine festival serves as a fundraiser to support the venue's arts and education initiatives. in the past, three separate events took place over three days, for the 18th year the premier wine tasting and the Uncorked! tasting event have been merged back into one night. The six-course Winemaker's Dinner will still take place the following night. Patrons interested in the education aspect or that higher end experience can still purchase a VIP ticket offering early access as well as entry to the Reserve Room where that premier tasting will be. "When [people] come in, I think they're going to be blown away," Speegle adds. FAYETTEVILLE Revived Imbibing