Cold Spring Welcomes Putnam Wine and Food Fest
For the ninth straight year, the Putnam County Wine and Food Fest will give local residents and visitors from the surrounding region a chance to indulge in a wide array of food and spirits over a summer weekend.
Taking place Aug. 10 and Aug. 11, the wine and food fest will feature ciders, wines and spirits, fresh food and musical entertainment throughout the weekend. Founder and director of the fest, Lauren Drummond is looking forward to another successful event.
Drummond, who is a former freelance journalist that covered the entertainment business, said when she moved up to Putnam about 20 years ago she noticed the area did not have any wineries or related activities. In earnest, she decided to start the wine and food fest to give Putnam an event filled with wine and farm-to-table food that was close to home. For the first eight years, the festival was held on a farm in Patterson, but this year the event will be held in Cold Spring at Mayor’s Park.
Drummond decided to move the festival to the west side of the county because more visitors are able to easily access the Metro- North train that stops right on the Main Street in the village. There is a waterfront to make the day picturesque, she said.
Since the inception of the festival, one major change has been adding more distilleries and mixologists for patrons. Additionally, this year there is a focus to have more child-centric activities that include face painting and sun art and games for the entire family to enjoy like corn hole.
A Jamaica native, Drummond said she tries to incorporate music like reggae and food from her home country. She said the farm-to-table options give local farmers the opportunity to showcase their produce.
General admission tickets to the festival, which runs from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, are $10. Wine Tasting tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the gate and include a wine tasting glass for wine, spirits and cider tastings, an event program and other product samples inside the main tent. Performances will feature musical genres including pop, country, R&B and Reggae. Parking is available and will be found along the perimeter of the park or in the municipal parking lot.
