Festival Season 2010 continued with a bang! I actually even decided to stay in Friday night to rest up :-).
Round 2 started with the newly instated Memphis Brewfest at Autozone Park. Since it was delayed an hour due to afternoon storms, the weather ended up being absolutely perfect - sunny and warm, without being too hot. Arriving a few minutes after 5, I could definitely tell there would be a great crowd, judging from the lines to get in.
I waited as patiently as possible to get in, grabbed my glass and map, and then it was on! There was definitely no rest for the weary here. The entire concourse was lined with booths, each offering 2 or 3 or even 4 different beers to taste. I tried to stick to ones I haven't previously had at first. I was pleasantly surprised to find there was quite a few there! My faves were the paler ones from Vietnam and Russia.
Lines to get in (everyone was excited!), beers keeping cold, the crowded concourse of thirtsy festival goers.
Lederhosen! Beers stands lined the entire concourse, live music in the courtyard.
Tasting with the guys. But women drink beer too!
After about three hours of tasting, some friends and I decided we had been served enough. We headed for much needed food. After lots of food (especially fries), but very little additional drinking (I couldn't even finish my glass of wine!), I headed home. I was asleep by 11! But it ended up being a great decision, as the next day would be big one!
And by big, I am talking about a full day of Wine Races!! After a full night's rest and some morning gym time, fellow blogger Brian C met me at my apartment for our annual bloody mary tradition (yes, I do this before a lot of festivals). We made it to Handy Park just in time to see the first group of the parade walk in. Each bar or restaurant created some sort of float or pedestal to carry in their Queen of the Vine contestants. Once all had come down Beale and paraded into the park, it was time for the pageant competition. Each girl was announced and then strutted her stuff across the stage. After a 20 minute dancing round, each contestant was asked a question. Most answers involved dancing or drinking rather than actual answering, but it was still fun to watch! Finally there was a bit more dancing before Mesquite Chophouse Southhaven was declared the winner.
The parade begins! Teams enter the park carrying their Queen contestants.
The Queen of the Vine contestants are all lined up, and the winner is crowned.
Next up was grape stomping. The premise is simple - a carton of grapes is placed in a bucket and the contestant has to try to get as much juice out of them using only their feet in a few minutes. Thanks goodness (for some!) there was not as many falls as last year. We were even lucky enough to score some extra grapes as a snack (ones that were NOT stomped)!
These grapes are made for stomping! Awaiting the start with my friends.
Stomping! Even Muck Sticky got in the action for the New Daisy.
Finally it was time for the main event - the wine races themselves! Teams race relay-style by opening a bottle of wine, pouring a glass, running down an obstacle course, and handing off the tray. Some of these teams are FAST. And some tried to go TOO fast. There was the usual oh-no-is-it-going-to-fall bobbles. And most of the time the answer was yes. The first team to compete ended up being the winner, congrats to Spindini!
The Wine Race course is all set up, as the crowd gets fired up. And they're off!
Opening bottles, a massive spill on the first race, navigating the obstacles.
The weather held up for most of the day. Being quite warm when the sun was out, what else to drink but frozen treats from Wet Willie's. Most of my friends opted for the extremely strong Call-a-Cabs, but is tuck to the sugar free Naked Willie with a splash of the Blue Attitude Improvement thrown in for fun. The heavier rain coinciding with the ending of the races, so we headed to the Saucer to continue the party. Of course, it was time for me to switch to wine. How else to end a day of Wine Races! Til next year.... Check out more action pics on FB: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=170177&id=57152440767
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