JUICED! Crowd of 3,000 expected for Saturday’s annual bash at Lu Mil Vineyard

DUBLIN — The famed Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer Galileo Galilei once said, “The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.”

Centuries later, American writer, critic and satirist Dorothy Parker quipped, “A hangover is the wrath of grapes.”

Those historical notables won’t be on hand, but the musically diverse band the Generations are booked to perform Saturday afternoon during the 15th N.C. Grape Festival at Lu Mil Vineyard.

Those Bladen County native sons should be squeezing out sparks and stomping on stage for the grape festival-goers.

The 200-acre winery, with 78 acres of muscadine grape vines, is located at 438 Suggs-Taylor Road, about a mile off N.C. 87.

“I’m praying for good weather,” said 28-year-old Kayla Dove, who handles publicity for the event and oversees social media for Lu Mil Vineyard. “I’m hoping it’s a little cool. Maybe it will feel like fall that day, but if not, it’s all right. I’m excited especially with us having to cancel it last year, but I think this year it will be bigger and better.”

The last grape festival drew a crowd of about 2,500, Dove recalled.

The threat of the coronavirus pandemic forced cancellation in 2020, but Dove said of the upcoming event, “Our social media pages are blowing up. … I’m aiming for about 3,000 or more. Everything’s outside, and we’re making adjustments.”

The N.C. Grape Festival will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Admission and parking are free.

A pancake breakfast, a fundraiser for Bladen Early College High School with proceeds earmarked for its Parent Teacher Organization, will be served at 7 a.m. in the general store on the premises.

The gift office will be open for wine tasting, while another wine-tasting area will be outdoors.

The festival’s traditional grape stomp will get underway at 10 a.m. Competition will include a children and adult division, Dove said, and cash prizes will be doled out for those who stomp the most juice out of the grapes.

There is no pre-registration for the grape stomp as participants will sign up the day of at the information booth.

A cornhole tournament has been incorporated into this year’s festival, with a $20 registration fee for teams beginning at 10 a.m. That activity will begin at 11 a.m.

The Generations, the festival’s headling act, are set to play from noon to 3 p.m.

“They play all kinds of music — from classic rock to beach music, Johnny Cash, the Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd. They’ll be the main headliner. I actually went to school with two of them,” Dove added with a laugh, reflecting back on her days at West Bladen High School.

Her mother is Denise Bridgers, a co-owner of Lu Mil Vineyard with Dove’s great-uncle, Ron Taylor.

A disc jockey also will entertain the folks in attendance.

Over 250 vendors have signed up to be on hand, according to Dove. Those will include both yard sale, and arts and craft vendors along with local businesses.

Mobile food trucks will be on site to feed the hungry, including C’Que Barbecue, Lindsey’s Concessions and sweetFrog Premium Frozen Yogurt.

“There will be plenty of food for everybody,” said Dove.

Dove said the festival started out “to have something for the local community as well as for the surrounding counties. Something family friendly. Something we can promote, of course, Lu Mil Vineyard, but also educate people about the muscadine grapes. And what it is that they are and the health benefits, as well. So we kind of use it as an educational purpose, too, We do samplings people can try. A lot of time people don’t know what muscadine grapes are. That’s how it all started out, to educate people on what Lu Mil Vineyard is and what the muscadine grape is. It’s turned out more for the local community.”