Approximately 2,500 people experienced visual and performance art on Saturday at this year’s Arts Festival and Wine Tasting in downtown Grayslake.
Adults could sample varieties of wine from several wineries to the sounds of live music on what turned out to be a nice day, weather-wise.
Wine-tasting enthusiast Judith Mason of Niles said, “I love Lake County. One of my best friends lives up here, so I’ll spend the whole day up here. I come up probably once a month, easily. It’s like a little vacation.”
The Grayslake Chamber of Commerce presented the event, which featured 34 booths and food available for purchase.
“It brings people into the town so they can see what we have here in the Village Center,” chamber executive director Maribeth Hamm said. “We’re showcasing our town and all of our businesses.”
Kelcie and Colleen Keith of Grayslake were delighted to find the festival while on a morning bike ride with children Lachlan, 5, and Lorelai, 3.
“It’s magical,” Colleen Keith said.
The Keith family viewed artist tents with inventory ranging from framed still images to jewelry and handmade crochet plushies.
“I, personally, am really into photography, nature-based art,” Keith said. “Very thankful stuff like this gets put on.”
Sarah Ratschan of Buffalo Grove said Grayslake is “a great community with a great downtown, and lots to do. Very family friendly.”
The Ratschan siblings reacted with surprise to the artwork shown at the shared booth of Painter Kelsie Morway of Round Lake Beach, and her father, Bill of Antioch, shared a booth featuring bright masks he had made.
“Because I have an artistic daughter, I just started doing these masks about six or seven months ago as a wintertime hobby,” he said. “It’s a therapeutic, enjoyable thing for me.”
A performance by the Spotlight Company of the Dance Connection Grayslake school drew a large audience. Company members are, “the community outreach ambassadors for the studio,” according to Bridget Blake, the owner of Dance Connection Grayslake.
“Throughout the year, we perform at festivals like this, but we also perform in the winter … perform at nursing homes and retirement communities,” she said. “What I love about, especially Grayslake, is this kind of familiarity everybody has with one another … this comfort and connection with community.”
Visitors also included a meet-up group with participants from Winthrop Harbor, Grayslake, Volo, Woodstock, Winthrop Harbor, Round Lake, Mount Prospect and Round Lake Beach.
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“These are all my peeps,” meetup organizer Sue Weller of Grayslake said. “There’s a lot to do in Lake County … a lot of great festivals.”
Participants in the meetup sampled wine, she said, but also did “a little shopping, and (looked) for some jewelry, or some artwork.”
“I love to see all the talent,” group member Cindy Hohoff of Woodstock said. “There’s so much talent in these art fairs.”
Ellen Russell of Round Lake, who was also part of the meetup, said, “I’m going to be visiting some friends back East, so I’m looking for some gifts to take along that are from the area. It’s a very pleasant little event.”
Jeff Trager, a wine consultant from Wauconda, poured wine samples from vineyards including South Africa and Provence, France for Louis Glunz Wines. The Glunz company has a Grayslake tasting room and a Lincolnshire warehouse.
“The whole family grew up in Grayslake,” Trager said about the Glunz family, which also maintains a Paso Robles, California, vineyard.
“Wine to me is food; it really is,” he said. “Wine adds to your meal. Wine adds to your experience.
“When you’re eating, you’re with family, you’re with friends, you’re smiling, you’re laughing,” Trager added. “Wine just brings that out. It’s good for you. It’s good for your soul. It makes life happier.”