SAFFORD — The weatherman delivered on the Graham County Chamber of Commerce’s request for perfect weather for the sixth Safford Spring Festival.
The Chamber reported selling out of 400 glasses for the wine, art and history event Friday and Saturday at Fireman’s Park in front of Safford City Hall.
“It’s just been such a fun event for not just us, but for the kids to enjoy as well,” said Corina Pino-Reyes, Chamber board president, who added a number of vendors reported selling out of items by Saturday.
Participating vineyards were Waggin’ Vineyard & Estate, Sonoita Vineyards, Coronado Vineyards, Elgin Winery and Elgin Distillery, while food was provided by Dug’s Blowin’ Smoke BBQ, Nana’s Kitchentte, Isabel’s South of the Border and Big Tex BBQ.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Elinor Russo. “They’ve got great booths, the food, the music, the people . . . it’s actually been a wonderful experience.”
Garrett Rhodes, of Mesa, said he and his wife came to the Gila Valley specifically for the Spring Festival event.
“My parents still live here, so we come down, probably, every couple months. We try to time it when there’s something going on,” Rhodes said. “We came last year and had a lot of fun, so we decided to come back this year.”
Music played throughout both days of the event, with a number of Gila Valley Idol winners taking the Kempton Chevrolet Stage, including Molly Ellis, Darryn Kamae and this year’s winner, Zaylie Windsor. Plus there were performances by Happy and the Ghosts and the event closed on bang when JJ’s Party Band took the stage.
The next big Chamber event will be the NatureSweet Tomatoes Salsa Fest, Sept. 22-23, in Fireman’s Park.
