Nov. 2 Southern Fox Fest features music, art, food, vine planting
Nov. 2 Southern Fox Fest features music, art, food, vine planting
Unique party at Elberta’s The Preserve benefits Mary’s Shelter
By Sally McKinney
The Southern Fox Festival hosted at the Veranda at the Preserve in Elberta will be held on Saturday, Nov. 2 with proceeds to benefit Mary’s Shelter Gulf Coast.
The day begins at 9 a.m. at Soldier Creek Golf Course with a four-person scramble shotgun start golf tournament. Tickets are $65 per person and include lunch and a beverage ticket. Smokey B’s BBQ will provide the food for the event. To sign up call 986-TOFF (8633).
The Fall Festival begins at 1 p.m. and includes a harvest market, arts and crafts, food trucks, Kids Zone and live music from local bands. The family friendly event is free, but donations will be accepted. Food may be purchased at the food trucks which include Bleu’s Burgers, Greens n Grains and Gourmet Waffle Bar and Bakery and the unique Foam Coffee Cart.
At 6 p.m. the big bands take the stage for listening and dancing. Bonfires and other special events are planned.
A special vine planting will take place in the afternoon. The vines will eventually provide Muscadine grapes that will be used at the Southern Fox Winery. A descendant of the Woerner farming family, event organizer Blake Woerner Higgins, recalls the many times she and her Dad picked the grapes in their backyard and ate them straight from the buckets.
Known for their special turf, the Woerners turned some of their acreage in Elberta into a golf course. Blake quickly found she didn’t have the “golf gene”, but she wanted to continue the Woerner legacy, being an integral part of the Elberta landscape.
She studied the Muscadines and found they were called southern fox grapes with female varieties named “Higgins”, her married name. Blake decided she wanted to start a winery and have a venue for weddings, family events and a yearly festival. Attendees at the Southern Fox Fall Festival will have an opportunity to participate in the planting and become a part of the Southern Fox legacy.
This year the festival benefits Mary’s Shelter Gulf Coast, a home for homeless pregnant women and their children providing help to get their lives back on track. For more information, go to maryssheltergulfcoast.org.
Pictured: The Red Clay Strays take the Southern Fox Festival stage at 7 p.m.