The Sunrise Side Wine & Food Festival at Harrisville Harbor is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2019! Over 15 participating Michigan wineries, breweries, and cideries; homegrown music; a Local Artists Guild display; and local restaurants are representing at this event. It’s not surprising that the fest has decided to take it to the next local level by becoming a Certified Local Food Event this year.
Participating food vendors The Flour Garden, Alcona Coffee, Austin Brothers Beer Company, Rosa’s Lookout Inn, Shotmaker’s, and Backwoods Bistro will work to source at least 20% of the food they serve from local growers and producers. It will also be a zero waste event! Vendors will use compostable and recyclable plates and utensils to avoid sending waste to landfills and incinerators.
As a part of the festivities, the Harrisville Arts Council sponsors an annual poster contest. Local artists compete to capture the beauty of the event and the area. The winning artwork is used for promotion and fundraising by the Wine Festival Committee. So along with feasting on local bites and imbibing Michigan libations, you can purchase the collectible 11×17 winning poster, by artist Paul Masterson of Harrisville.
Volunteer with the Festival
The event committee is still looking for people to fill the 120 volunteers’ shoes needed to run this annual festival. You must be at least 18yrs old, and like working with people in a large community event setting. If interested in volunteering, you can email [email protected] or contact (989) 724-5107 or the Alcona County Chamber of Commerce. This event will take place from noon to 6 p.m. at the Harrisville Harbor on July 20th.
Molly Stepanski is the Local Food Coordinator for Northeast Michigan. She enjoys digging, planting, and hiking in the dirt, cooking up her own recipes, drinking cider, and eating lots of fresh, seasonal produce (and anything deep-fried, in accordance with her southern heritage). She owns and operates Presque Isle Farm with her family and is a founding member of the Huron Shores Local Food Coalition. Contact her at [email protected].
Photo credit: Harrisville Harbor of Refuge