Eat, stomp, drink and be merry
by July 26, 2009 7:29 pm 79 views
story and photos by Linda Kaufenberg
Saturday morning found the city of Altus drawing hundreds of people to the 2009 Altus Grape Fest. In addition to the sound of the people were the sounds of the Polkateers, a group of musicians, all of whom have master’s degrees in music, playing, singing and enjoying polka music. The event drew attendees and vendors from Arkansas and surrounding states.
Earlier grape festivals were held in the 1920’s. Then in 1984, the Altus Grape Festival was revived as an annual celebration to honor and show appreciation for the achievements of the past and present grape growers.
The year’s fest took place in Altus City Park on Friday (July 24) and Saturday (July 25). New this year was the dunking booth. Favorite traditions such as grape stomping, grape-related games, free wine and juice sampling and live music are carried on from year to year.
Related events included tours and tastings at the four local wineries; Mount Bethel, Post Familie, Chateau Aux Arc and Wiederkehr’s.
