Word on the

Street

It’s February again and that means it’s time for our first annual downtown event, the Sumner Sweetheart Wine Walk. This year it falls right smack dab on Valentine’s Day so we’re hoping even more people will make Sumner their destination for a sweet holiday night out with friends and loved ones.

I’m especially excited because we’ve made some great strategic changes that not only improve the event, but mark the beginning of a cross promotional city “pairing” with Prosser, Wash.

Now, you might be wondering why I sound so enthusiastic to include a city east of the mountains as part of our wine tasting event. Well I’m happy to tell you there are a couple of reasons. First, Prosser can boast they have more than 25 wineries in their small but growing community of 5,000. Since our organization is continuously looking for ways to update our event and make it more interesting for visitors, featuring wines from a sole Washington state city is sure to include unique local wines that many might not have had the opportunity to taste before. I’ve had the chance to travel to Prosser and can attest that they have some award-winning wines that are definitely worth a taste or two.

And speaking of award winning, SDA is proud to announce that Airfield Winery, which will be present at our Feb. 14 event, won two gold medals and one silver medal from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in January.  Considering this is the largest competition of American wines in the world, we are thrilled they are the first winery to attend our event. We expect to have more than 20 Prosser wineries at our September Mystery Wine Walk, several of which have won awards for their outstanding wines.

In addition to Airfield Winery, the mayor of Prosser and the chamber director will also be traveling to our fair city this month. Both Sumner and Prosser are taking advantage of promotional opportunities this “pairing” provides and will be attending local events in each other’s cities to promote our hotels, restaurants and shopping, not to mention great wines and our own rhubarb pie. In fact, Mayor Paul Warden, a B&B owner himself, has agreed to perform the wedding nuptials advertised in this year’s wine walk poster, “Prosser Flyboy Marries Sumner Sweetheart.” That’s right, Ascension Productions will be back on Main Street directing a Valentine’s Day wedding as part of the event entertainment. Visitors will witness the mother of the bride and various members of the wedding party scurrying through the various shops downtown as they get ready for the 8pm ceremony at Garden Market. In addition to entertaining the crowd, SDA’s strategy is to also highlight the many services and products downtown can provide for weddings, proms, and all other types of sweetheart activities.

Tickets are $15 and the event is from 4 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 14. Make a night of it with reservations at your favorite Sumner restaurant and a stay at the new Sumner Holiday Inn Express. Come see why we’re so excited to “pair” up with Prosser as another great reason to spend some time in Sumner.

More event information is available at www.sumnerdowntown.com or 253.720.9846.