 The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, Downtown
Springfield Inc., and the Old Capitol Foundation are teaming up to
host the first-ever Art of Illinois Wine Garden from noon to 5 p.m.
May 17 and 18. The event is open to anyone 21 years of age or older
and will be at the southwest corner of Fifth and Jefferson streets
in downtown Springfield. Admission is $10, which includes a wine
glass and five sampling tickets. Wine may also be purchased by the
glass, bottle and case. The wine tasting event is in conjunction
with the Old Capitol Art Fair that weekend.
Funds raised from the Art of Illinois Wine Garden will benefit
the Tinsley Project and Downtown Springfield Inc.'s Lincoln
Bicentennial Wall Dog Mural Project. In addition, the event will
highlight the Vintners Association's interest in locating an
Illinois wine and Illinois products store in downtown Springfield.
The event is co-sponsored by Hanson Information Systems Inc. and
Robert and Jill Egizii.
The Illinois wineries taking part in the May 17-18 event include
Sycamore Winery, Sycamore; Spirit Knob Vineyard and Winery, Ursa;
Mackinaw Valley Vineyard, Mackinaw; Owl Creek Vineyard, Cobden;
Shawnee Winery, Vienna; Lasata Winery, Lawrenceville; White Owl
Winery, Flat Rock; Vahling Vineyards, Stewardson; Willett's Winery
and Cellar, Manito; Alto Vineyards, Alton Pass; Pheasant Hollow
Winery, Whittington; Collver Family Winery, Barry; Von Jakob
Vineyards, Pomona; Fox Creek Vineyards Co., Olney; Prairie State
Winery, Genoa; Berryville Vineyards, Claremont; Kickapoo Creek
Winery, Edwards; Piasa Winery, Grafton; Hill Prairie Winery, Oakford;
and Log Cabin Winery, Ellis Grove.
The Old Capitol Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose
mission is to promote history education, outreach and public
awareness of the Old State Capitol and Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices
state historic sites. The foundation is actively raising funds and
awareness to support the Tinsley Project for the Abraham Lincoln
Bicentennial. This initiative aims to accurately locate and
interpret Lincoln's only remaining law offices and Illinois' 1840s
federal courtroom complex in the Tinsley Building at the corner of
Sixth and Adams streets in downtown Springfield. The bulk of
evidence uncovered by the project team indicates that Lincoln's
offices and numerous other historic rooms in the building are not
accurately located. In addition to restoring the building where
Lincoln had three law offices, the initiative will reintroduce the
site as a living history attraction at the completion of a major
capital project.
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 Downtown Springfield Inc., a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit
organization formed in 1993, works to preserve, promote and enhance
Springfield's historic central business district. Its mission is to
help make downtown Springfield an ideal place to shop, work, visit,
invest and live. In conjunction with the Abraham Lincoln
Bicentennial in the summer of 2009, Downtown Springfield Inc. has
undertaken an initiative to bring together talented artists from
Springfield and beyond to enrich the downtown landscape with several
murals related to Lincoln and the history of Springfield. The
project will require the participation of downtown property owners
to provide the "canvases" and will need monetary and in-kind
donations to fund accommodations for visiting artists.
The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, established
in 1992, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing the
viticulture and enology interests of Illinois through information
exchange and cooperation among Illinois grape producers and
vintners. The Illinois wine industry has exploded in recent years,
growing from just 12 wineries in 1997 to 79 today. During this time,
the acreage devoted to grape production has grown at a tremendous
rate, and today Illinois is consistently among the top 12
wine-producing states. Today the Illinois wine industry creates a
direct economic impact of more than $253 million annually. The
nearly 80 wineries that span Illinois have also brought with them a
host of charming bed and breakfasts and local crafts businesses. The
Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association predicts continued
growth in the coming years as more visitors discover the genuine
culture of Illinois wine country.
[Text from
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency news release received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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