Weekend Roundup: Birds, Beer and Reggae

By Rachael Dickson (Contact), Sydney Wilmer (Contact)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

This weekend’s roundup theme is to consume - things local and international. Island food, Virginia wine and local beer are center stage Saturday and Sunday in festivals around Loudoun County. For adult beverages, visit Whitehall Manor’s wine tasting or Magnolias at the Mill’s Beer Festival. For Caribbean tastes and culture, try events at Breaux Vineyards and Leesburg Animal Park.

Breaux Vineyards' Key West Fest

Breaux Vineyards will throw its third annual Key West Fest this Saturday.

The festival was conceived three years ago by Jennifer Breaux, owner Paul Breaux’s daughter and the vineyard’s general manager of sales and hospitality, when she moved to Virginia.

“I really missed the beach very much when I moved here,” Breaux said. “So I decided, I’m here running the winery … I’m going to bring a piece of what I love so much to Virginia.”

The first festival drew 2,500 people throughout the day. A varied crowd of families, young and old have attended in the past.

“It’s becoming our most popular festival,” she said. “A lot of people really like to go to the beach. It’s a lot of fun; escapism from the every day.

In the past, the festival has featured a steel drum band. This year, Baltimore-based Unity Reggae Band will be brought in by popular request. Key West Band, covering Jimmy Buffet music, will also perform.

Local Round Hill caterer Savoir Faire has designed an exclusively Caribbean-style menu. Hot dogs and hamburgers will also be served.

For kids, there will be hayrides, clowns, sandboxes and face painting.

A tarot card reader will also be at the event. A local parrot rescue society Phoenix Landing will bring out birds to show.

The event will also feature local vendors of jewelry, sea glass and other items. Beach-themed prizes will be given away.

The event takes place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Purcellville, Va.

Designated drivers and children 6 and up (non-drinking tickets): $10 at the gate; $8 in advance.

Adults (drinking tickets): Admission includes wine tasting, souvenir glass and entertainment: $15 at the gate; $13 in advance

-RMD

Leesburg Animal Park Opens Aviary

Leesburg Animal Park opens a new free-flight lorikeet aviary this Saturday, where visitors will be able to interact with the birds.

“This is really an aviary where people can have a personal experience with the birds,” said Peggy Coleman, the park’s public relations director. “It’s a very calming, unique experience. You almost never see a situation where a bird will actually interact with you.”

The birds can be hand-fed for a small fee.

The aviary, conceived and built by Aaron and Dale Johnson, the owner’s sons, is believed to be the first of its kind in the D.C. Metro region.

"We raised these birds from hatchlings, so they are very acclimated to people,” owner Shirley Johnson said in a press release. “They love to fly around and land on your head and shoulders, looking for something good to eat."

Entry into the aviary will be timed and limited to a select number of people at a time, to ensure that each visitor can have a personal experience with the birds. Children are welcome in the exhibit.

Six lorikeets will be on display at the opening, with four more to be released later. Lories are birds from the Australasian region that feed on flowers and fruits in the wild.

The park has many other animal exhibits, including a giant tortoise habitat, that have been around since the park originally opened in Reston 20 years ago. White-handed gibbons, mammals in the chimpanzee family, are also popular. Four coatimundi babies, which are being hand-raised at the park, are also on display.

The new aviary opens Saturday at 9 a.m. Adult admission is $9.95; children and seniors will pay $7.95; and children under 2 are free. Leesburg Animal Park is open from Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 703-433-0002 to check in case of questionable weather.

-RMD

White Hall Wine and Dine: Five Wineries and One Mansion

Whitehall Manor’s staff declares openly and unabashedly that its upcoming Wine and Dine is the D.C. wine event of the summer.

“We have five vineyards scheduled to come,” explained David Weinschel, one of the event’s planners and president of Celebrations Hospitality . “Never do the wineries come together for the same event. And then to have speakers from these wineries in an air-conditioned environment …this is the only event of its kind this summer.”

The first-ever indoor wine and dine will be Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., featuring a full menu. Proceeds will benefit the Loudoun Free Clinic. Tickets are $78.75 per person and can be purchased online and at the gate. Special rates apply to groups of 10 or more.

Wine expert and Vineyard owners like Doug Fabbioli of Fabbioli Cellars will discuss blends and the process of making wine in Virginia. Bluemont Vineyard will also be represented at the event.

“It is unusual that you get to hear from all of these experts in the same setting,” Weinschel said.

Weinschel also stressed that the venue is one of the event’s biggest draws. Whitehall Manor in Bluemont, Va., dates back to 1787 and is surrounded by 50 acres.

“This is a beautiful environment and a wonderful place to enjoy wine for local wine lovers and those just traveling through the area,” Weinschel said. “It’s a beautiful country estate, excellent cuisine, a real great education from the best makers.”

Whitehall will host a similar event Oct. 19. For more information about these events, visit this site.

-SW

Magnolias at the Mill: Beer Festival in Purcellville

Wine is not the only adult beverage to sample this weekend.

Magnolias at the Mill will host a beer festival Saturday. Starting at 11 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m., the festival will showcase about eight breweries’ beers.

This is the first time Magnolias at the Mill will host a large event outside.

“We put a tent up over our patio, it will be a nice outdoor activity,” said Mike Kent, managing partner. “We should have a least a couple of beers and brews from each distributor.”

Passes are $35 in advance and $45 at the door. Tickets include some barbeque, five beer samples and a souvenir beer glass.

The event managers hope participants get exposure to new beers. Kent expect beers such as Flying Dog and Star Hill to be hits among tasters.

“These are the types of beers that are hard to find," he said."We don’t even have these beers on tap at the Magnolias.”

The event will also offer patrons a chance to hear how the beers they are sampling are made, as the distributors will be there to talk about their beers.

-SW

Tagged: Roundup

Your Thoughts...

What cuts do you think the school system should make if the budget crunch is as dire as some expect?