Wine and craft festival coming to fairgrounds | News Leave a comment

An event organizer and former Moore resident is bringing a new wine and craft festival to Norman this weekend.

The Norman Wine and Craft Festival will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in the former Farm Market space.

Hosted by Heird Events LLC, the free family friendly festival will include about 75 vendors, food trucks and free photos with the Easter Bunny, event coordinator Vanessa Heird said.

Some vendor offerings will include food, home décor, jewelry, direct sale items, art, woodwork, leather and cowhides, candles, cups and clothing.

Heird, whose full-time job is administrative programs officer with the office of the inspector general at the Department of Human Services, hosted a similar festival in October outdoors in downtown Guthrie.

Now she’s branching out to different cities in the metro area, including Norman, offering residents opportunities to buy wine and beer alongside crafts in one festival.

Kara Pennington, who helps Heird set up the events, said the Guthrie craft and wine festival was packed the entire time and had an amazing turnout.

The success of the Guthrie event has Heird encouraged about the potential attendance at Norman’s event, especially since some of the vendors from the Guthrie event have signed up for the Norman festival too.

“It’s really enjoyable. It’s fun for me. I love having the crowds,” she said, adding that she enjoys promoting vendors and crafters and helping them get business.

If Saturday’s event is successful, Heird plans to make it an annual festival.

Pennington, who lives in southeast Oklahoma City, said she’s excited to hopefully see a large turnout at the festival and for people to venture out and spend time in the same space together.

At least two Norman vendors will be at the festival, including Black Mesa Brewing Co., 3901 N Flood Ave., and Native Spirits Winery, 10500 E. Lindsey St.

Alex Nightengale, Black Mesa’s chief operating officer, said events like the upcoming festival helps the company get name and brand recognition. The brewery first opened in 2012 and came to Norman in 2018.

“Especially the fact that it is a Norman event, we really felt like that was something that we needed to do and we’re excited to be there,” he said.

He said one featured product Black Mesa will offer is Sellout Blood Orange IPA, and the brewery also will have several other craft beers available.

Rick Vollmer with Native Spirits Winery said the festival helps him get word out about the nearly 13-year-old Norman winery.

“We still have a lot of people come out and say they didn’t realize we were out here,” he said, adding that the festival provides the opportunity to show off the winery’s products and help the community.

Native Spirits will feature seven or eight locally-made wines, with sweet and dry reds and whites and some blush, some wine-related gift items and possibly wine slushies.

“We’d like to see as many people as can fit in out there and come out and visit us and all the other vendors that are going to be there, as well,” Vollmer said.

To learn more about the festival, visit tinyurl.com/5n9astma.

Jamie Berry covers general, police and court news for The Transcript. Reach her at jberry@normantranscript.com, 366-3532 or @JamieStitches13.