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"It was fantastic": The return of Cambria's Art and Wine Festival after COVID cancellation

Visitors enjoy local wine featured at the Cambria Art and Wine Festival in January.
Cambria Chamber of Commerce
Visitors enjoy local wine featured at the Cambria Art and Wine Festival in January.

On a sunny Saturday morning at the veterans hall in Cambria, a crowd of locals and visitors gathered for the 20th annual Art and Wine Festival. Artists and winemakers line the walls of the busy room, eager to sell their goods.

The Cambria Art and Wine Festival made a comeback in January after being canceled last year due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. The yearly event draws hundreds of attendees to downtown Cambria, showcasing local art, food, and wine.

However, that comeback almost didn’t happen this year. Recent storms caused by a series of atmospheric rivers drenched the Central Coast last month, causing flooding, landslides, and other hazardous conditions. Organizers say this bad weather hurt early ticket sales and made them consider canceling the event over safety concerns.

“I can understand with flooding and things like that that people were a little concerned. But fortunately we had a wonderful two weeks of clear and things have dried up in Cambria is in good shape here,” said Lorriene Schwenk, the Director of the Cambria Chamber of Commerce. She said luckily, the storm didn’t totally derail this year’s festival.

“I know that we had a big pickup in sales once it was clear what the forecast was going to be. So certainly earlier in January. It was a little slow and I can understand that because it was raining every Saturday for a couple of weeks.”

Wine tasting began the morning of January 28 as the Cambria Veterans hall became a hub for sellers and samplers alike. Vendors stood at their tables, eager to share their wine.

Nichole Finn from the Bella Luna Estate Winery in Templeton was one of them.

“It's amazing. The weather's gorgeous. It's so good seeing all the vendors out and the locals. It's fabulous.”

People check out booths at the Cambria Art and Wine Festival in January.
Jennaca Ortiz
People check out booths at the Cambria Art and Wine Festival in January.

Local artists occupied booths selling everything from crochet hats to decorative rocks. Jim and Tish Rogers specialize in woodworking and acrylic paintings.

“I'm telling you there's some really great woodworkers around here. That's what I do and I'm impressed with what they're doing,” Jim said.

The couple have attended the festival for many years, and Tish said this turnout isn’t the largest they’ve seen.

“It's less than it has been but then we had you know that Hiatus because of covid. It used to be you couldn't even walk in here,” she said.

Although the pandemic and recent stormy weather may have put a damper on the turnout, Lorienne Schwenk with the Chamber of Commerce said she can’t complain.

“About two weeks ago it was fairly clear that today was going to be sunny and all of the sudden the ticket sales exploded. It was fantastic.”

Along with dry weather, the weekend continued with prize raffles, food trucks, a short-film screening, and of course- more wine tasting.

The Cambria Art and Wine festival is scheduled to return next year on January 26, 27, and 28. For more information visitcambriachamber.org.

Jennaca Ortiz attends Cuesta College and is the editor-in-chief for the award-winning student publication, The Cuestonian. Born and raised in California's Central Valley, Jennaca now lives in Morro Bay. While this is her first time as an official resident of the Central Coast, she spent many summers here as a kid. She enjoys listening to the radio, swimming, drawing, and traveling.
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