BERKELEY SPRINGS – Wineries, farmers and chefs from around the state descended on Berkeley Springs on Saturday for their 28th annual Uniquely West Virginia Wine and Food Festival.
The event, which was hosted by Travel Berkeley Springs, has been held since 1994, bringing in vendors from across the state to Berkeley Springs for the weekend. This year, the event brought them to the Ice House, home to the Morgan Arts Council and a center for arts and culture in the picturesque town.
Laura Smith, executive director of Travel Berkeley Springs, says she hopes the event brings in visitors from neighboring states to see what West Virginia has to offer.
“West Virginia is a great state, and we’re so close to Maryland and Pennsylvania and Virginia, we want to do something that says, ‘hey guys, we’re really good,’” Smith said, “And put a spotlight on local businesses.
In addition to local businesses, the event featured performances from local musicians, something Stephanie Rebant, president of Travel Berkeley Springs, says Travel Berkeley Springs has added over the years to show off local talent.
“I think there’s such a vibrant arts and culture community, too, here in Berkeley Springs, that’s really evolved over the years,” Rebant said.
The event gives local chefs and food vendors an opportunity to show the community what they do. Betsy Heath, who owns Lot 12 Public House alongside her husband, Damian Heath, has attended the event for 27 years now.
“It was a natural fit for us to participate in this event because this is everything we believe in,” Heath said, “Supporting local farms, local foragers, local wineries, local breweries. All these things are really important to the local economy.”
Vendors from all around the state, not just the Eastern Panhandle, like Healthberry Farm who make honey products like mead in Randolph County, come to Berkeley Springs for the event.
“We try to use this as a little vacation for ourselves, too, because we love coming up to Berkeley Springs,” said EMay, who runs the farm alongside her husband, Ben McKean. “It’s such a beautiful place to be this time of year.”
Healthberry Farm has been coming to the event for more than 10 years now, selling their homemade mead, made fresh from beehives they run. The farm has won a number of nationwide awards, and recently won a “Best of West Virginia” award.
“We’re just so proud to be from West Virginia,” EMay said. “It’s such a great state for honey production. We think that they do a great job of putting this festival together and getting really wonderful different foods and crafters.”
