MONROE — Sponsored by Hawk’s Mill Winery, Main Street Monroe will host a wine walk on Thursday, June 3. The event, held at least annually since 2016, did not occur in 2020 because of the COVD-19 pandemic.
The event will feature 16 different businesses in the Main Street Historic District, some participating for the first time. Each business will serve as a stop where participants can sample up to two different wines. Additionally, beer and cider will be served at some stops. Hawk’s Mill Winery, which has sponsored the event since its inception, will be featuring approximately four of their wines. Other samples will be wines from Wisconsin, the United States, and across the world.
“This is such a great event. It combines a lot of what makes Main Street what we are,” said Jordan Nordby, Executive Director. “There is shopping, there are new stores, it’s social, and it’s our one dedicated fundraiser. The success of this event allows us to do so much of what we do.”
Tickets are $25 per person. It covers entry into all participating stores, food, and a gift bag. Nordby highlights Main Street covering processing fees for its LIVE! shopping nights that generated over $85,000 for participating stores in 2020, as well as being able to offer a $10 match for gift certificates purchased during the lockdown as examples of Main Street being able to successfully leverage fundraising and donations back into the community. Gift certificates brought in another $30,000 to locally owned businesses in 2020.
Because of the ongoing pandemic, stores will have varying capacities. Samples will be served in disposable cups, although every person attending will still receive a commemorative wine glass. Food will be individually portioned, and Main Street will have differing orders of stores to visit to limit any congestion at one time.
“We’ve gotten better each time about spreading people out so everyone can shop and sample at their own pace without it being too crowded,” Nordby said. With the addition of ciders and beer, Nordby also feels this is a great household activity for people as they start to look for things to do this summer and get back to (a new) normal.
Participating stores include Busy Bee Floral & Gift, which was Main Street’s pop up shop in 2020 and Mama + Little’s Boutique which just opened in March. Other stores include Heartland Graphics, House to Home Designs, and Max’s Threads. The event runs from 5-8 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased through Main Street’s Facebook page or by calling 608.328.4023. Because of the pandemic, the number of tickets being sold has been reduced from previous years. Anyone interested, is encouraged to buy tickets as soon as possible.
