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Grape Festival teeming with changes

By Brian Craig
News-Sentinel Assistant News Editor

So what’s new at the festival?

Many may not notice the subtle changes this year at the Lodi Grape Festival and Harvest Fair, but those with a discerning eye may notice that the grounds are teeming with changes.

Those changes include everything from a new building to old buildings revamped, and foods and sellers of wares making first-time appearances.

The Barrel Room is the newest building on the grounds and was completed a year ago, said Mark Armstrong, the festival’s general manager. It actually opened the first day of the fair last year and was primarily built for trailer/RV groups to be used as a clubhouse.

The Barrel Room has been rented extensively over the past year, Armstrong said.

During the Grape Festival, the Barrel Room is used as a first aid station and the showers are available for vendors and carnival workers.

The Barrel Room is located adjacent to the Amphitheater. It holds a dinner capacity of 50 people. It is 55 feet by 27 feet in size (1,482 square feet) and includes 8 round tables, 48 chairs, a kitchenette, restrooms and showers.

In regards to the old buildings on the grounds, many of them have been repainted and the electrical systems of many of the buildings have been upgraded as well.

The electrical system has been steadily upgraded over the past three years, Armstrong said. The benefit is the ability to handle more RV groups, he said. In addition, there is less chance of power problems, which equals less frustration for the public.

The threat of hot temperatures in the Grape Pavilion, located next to Burgundy Hall, have been eased with the addition of new swamp coolers as well.

What’s in store for the future?

There are plans to tear down the fence around the old driving range on the corner of East Lockeford Street and Cherokee Lane, Armstrong said. The plan is to build a new brick and iron fence when approval has been granted by the city.

For those more interested in the here and now, there will be foods and wares for those seeking instant gratification. There will be many of the same food vendors and commercial exhibits as last year, but there will also be new additions this year as well, said Brandy Haupt, the events and exhibits coordinator at the festival.

With vendors and concessions, the festival gets about the same 50 percent every year, as there is a lot of turnover, Haupt said.

With those for a penchant for the old favorites, many of the past foods such as tacos, funnel cakes and cinnamon rolls are back once again this year.

But those with a taste for something new may enjoy Spud City, a food booth from Watkins Event Service which provides potatoes in numerous varieties.

There are the standard baked potatoes, french fries and curly fries, but for more adventurous tastes there are seven kinds of baked potato meals. They include: The All American City Meal: Steak and Potatoes; Las Vegas: The Works!!!; Dallas; San Francisco; Salinas; Honolulu; and Santa Maria.

The Las Vegas, for instance, includes a baked potato with butter, au jus ground beef, grated cheese, sour cream, bacon bits and chives.

If you’re not a fan of Mr. Potato Head, then Lockeford Meats and Sausage might be the food for you. Making its first appearance at the festival, it will offer a myriad selection of sausages and sausage sandwiches.

There will also be a different Kettle Corn concession stand, that caters to the Kettle Corn crowd with a top-notch exterior in the shape of a log cabin.

For the children, Pucker Powder will provide candy in necklace shapes, with a pixie-stick like taste.

There will be new commercial exhibits such as a collectible booth that will specialize in memorabilia such as I Love Lucy and Betty Boop. Button Pro is a new addition, selling machines to make buttons, for those making political stances, advertising or just for fun, Haupt said.

For those in need of an adrenaline rush, there will be a virtual reality simulator and Big Top Productions will offer a trampoline with a capacity for four people.