The 2nd Annual Stems & Steins Festival held Saturday and Sunday, September 24 at 25 at the North Street Pavilion was presented by View and sponsored by Pride of New York and the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.
Twenty-seven vendors from around the state—including 15 wineries, Matt’s Brewery craft beers, and a variety of vendors with New York State food products—took part in the event.
Among the local vendors was Matteson’s Market of White Lake. Owner Jim Matteson said he had a great couple of days, selling out of many of his baked goods.
Bonnie Baker and Kristin Frymire hosted the Old Forge Hardware booth and provided samples of all their Hardware-labeled products, including pickled quail eggs which were sold out by closing time on Saturday.
“People were really enjoying the samples and bought a lot of salsas, fruit butters and pickled vegetables. It’s a great venue and provides great advertising for the Hardware. This is definitely an event that will continue to grow and get better every year,” Baker said.
Debi Ritz, Stems & Steins chairperson, said the vendors reported healthy sales and were pleased with the foot traffic throughout the weekend.
According to Ritz, participants of the One Square Mile of Hope event that took place on Saturday in Inlet, were offered a $1 discount on admission.
“It gave me chills when I looked around the pavilion and saw so many people wearing their commemorative pink event shirts,” Ritz said.
One of the highlights of the weekend was the drawing for a variety of wine, food, beer and merchandise donated by participating vendors. The winner of the entire package, valued at more than $1,000, was won by Lydia Wojnowski of Turin.
