Wine, food and music festival moves to Hopkins Heartland

The Southern Delaware Wine, Food and Music Festival is moving to a new venue.

Hopkins Heartland on Fisher Road near Lewes, which has become one of the region’s top wedding destinations, will host this year’s event from noon to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 1. Founder Stacy LaMotta said the entire venue on the Hopkins family farm will be used, including the barn, milking barn, patio and open space around the covered bridge. Each year’s event benefits nonprofit organizations.

The festival will feature food from more than 25 restaurants prepared by award-winning chefs, more than 75 craft beers and cocktails, four bands, a wine wall, a chef throwdown and silent auction items. Proceeds will be donated to Children’s Beach House and Pathways to Success.

Faye Blake, Pathways to Success founder and executive director, said since the organization was founded 16 years ago, more than 3,000 underserved high school students have received assistance through the organization’s after-school, in-school and community-based programs. This year, programs are offered to students at Sussex Technical, Milford, Cape Henlopen and Seaford high schools.

“We help them to learn, thrive and grow. When they leave our programs, we want them to be successful,” Blake said.

Richard Garrett, Children’s Beach House executive director, said the organization has offered programs to disadvantaged children for 80 years. This year, staff has been embedded at the two schools in Milton beyond programs and camps at the campus on Lewes Beach. “Every child and family deserves to have opportunities, and they always come from strong relationships,” Garrett said.

“This is a new and exciting way to present SoDEL Fest,” said Ingrid Hopkins, who manages Hopkins Heartland. “The farm is now a new catalyst for kids. I’m all in.”

To purchase tickets and get more information, go to facebook.com/WineFoodMusicFest.

For more information on the nonprofits, go to pathways-2-success.org and cbhinc.org.