Good wine, good time at Stroud’s Summerfest
BY RICHARD STEPHENS, JR.
Glasses were raised and liberally filled – and refilled – with wine at Stroud’s annual Summerfest, attended by 500 people according to Erin Bradley, President of Stroud’s Chamber of Commerce, who hosted it on June 10. The festival filled up two blocks of Main Street (Route 66).
Under the pavilion at Stroud's Summerfest were six wineries and two distilleries. It was held on June 10, 2023.
While sampling wine from six wineries and alcohol from two distilleries was the main activity, people also admired 20 classic cars in the judged car show; bought food, jewelry, clothing and merchandise from vendors; and watched two fire departments compete against each other.
The Stroud and Strother Fire Departments sparred in seven events. The two teams tugged a rope to pull it across a line, shot water in a combat challenge, performed a dead man drag of a fire truck, and more. In the end, Stroud earned bragging rights for another year. About 200 people paid $15 each to taste a wide variety of red, blush, and white Oklahoma wines under a pavilion and whiskey, bourbon, and vodka from two distilleries. They visited Canadian River Winery of Lexington, Backroad Vineyard of Okay, Wildhorse Canyon Farms of Luther, and three others. I sampled several fruit flavored wines from Wildhorse Canyon Farms and chose a 750 ml bottle of Simply Peachy.
One of the owners of Backroad Vineyard in Okay pours a sample at Stroud's Summerfest in June 2023.
Rick Merrill owns Backroad Vineyard. He said, “We put our expertise into the product we sell.” They make small batches, cultivating and growing Vanessa grapes from five acres. Net proceeds from the festival go back to the Stroud Chamber of Commerce to hold other events for Stroud. Although the day started wet from rain, organizers kept it going. With warm sunshine in the afternoon, Bradley said they had better attendance than the last two years. “I’m really pleased with today,” she said. Summerfest brought out a good crowd who enjoyed tasting good Oklahoma made wine and alcohol.
