The hills outside of Mount Airy echoed with the sounds of the islands this weekend, courtesy of a wine and reggae festival at Linganore Winecellars.
Four reggae bands provided the soundtrack Saturday and Sunday, while concertgoers sampled the winery’s offerings and browsed the booths of dozens of vendors.
Pennsylvania resident Andre Hughes said it was his first time at the festival; he came to celebrate his fiancee’s birthday.
The event offered a lot of good vendors, good wine, and some good food, he said, and he was anxious to try more.
The festival offered a wide variety of products, Hughes said as he looked through the different booths and tents.
“You don’t get to see a lot of this stuff in normal shops,” he said.
The festival always provides a good time, with good music and energy, said Sunshine Davis.
She’s been selling the handmade jewelry for her Baltimore business Navaeh’s Place at the festival since 2019, she said.
It always draws a good crowd, she added, although she thought Sunday’s turnout was a little smaller than usual because of the threat of rain in the forecast.
Overall, Davis said, it’s definitely worth the drive up from Baltimore.
Prity Mandel agreed that Sunday’s sales were slower than Saturday’s, as he stood among the racks of hats in his tent next to Davis’s.
They were mostly summer hats, he said, straw Panama hats and other models.
Mandel said he’s had a stand at the festival for more than 13 years, and plans to come back for the last event in October.
The winery has been holding the festival since the 1990s, although no one is sure exactly what year, said Morgan Kilduff, director of festivals and public events for Linganore Winecellars.
They do three weekend festivals a year — in May, July and October — each of which highlights various elements of Caribbean culture, she said.
When the events began, one of the owner’s daughters was thinking of possible themes for festivals.
“Somehow, this Caribbean festival idea came up,” Kilduff said.
The result was so popular and well-attended that it’s been going over since, she said.
Each day features two bands as well as about 35 vendors.
This weekend’s festival brought food vendors from as far away as North Carolina and Tennessee, Kilduff said.
It also gave the winery a chance to show off its selection of more than 40 wines.
Kenya McDaniel said he and friends have been coming to the festival every year since nearly the beginning.
They come for both days of all three events each year, he said.
What keeps them coming back?
“The people, the vibe,” he said.
McDaniel introduced Kevin Smith of Baltimore to the festival years ago, and he’s been coming ever since.
They always make sure to get their favorite catfish from one of the food vendors, Smith said as he sat under a tent listening to the band.
The festival also always has friendly and helpful volunteers, he added.
“It’s the atmosphere, and the wine,” he said.