More wine glasses have been shipped, 13 brewery and wineries have signed up for the festival and “we need to buy more canopies for our vendors.”

That was the start of Chairman Dagan Hardin’s report on the Hennessey United Association’s annual Wine & Chocolate Festival during the group’s monthly board meeting Thursday, Sept. 19, at Vernost Wine Co.

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at Memorial Park on Hennessey’s North Main Street.

Hardin also talked about plans for when the table – and other – set-ups at the park should begin.

Members were told that several Hennessey High School classes had planned reunions for that weekend and discussed possible needs for golf carts to take festival goers to and from their vehicles and if parking at the school’s lot across from the auditorium would be needed.

Wine Vendors

Secret judges will decide the top three wine awards at the conclusion of the festival.

Winners will receive plaques and bragging rights for a year.

Vendors signed up include: • Backyard Vineyards, OKC

• Farfalla Wines, Yukon

• Native Spirits Winery, Norman

• Put a Cork in It Winery & Gift Shop, OKC Bricktown • Settlers Brewing, Enid

• Shakespeare Wine Co., Chickasha

• Stubborn Bull Winery, Hennessey

• Territory Distilling, Stillwater

• Tidewater Winery, Drumright

• Turner Me On Wines, Hennessey

• Vernost Wine Co., Hennessey

• Wildhorse Canyon Farms Vineyard and Winery, Luther

Chocolate & Other Vendors

• Cookie’s Sweet Bites & Bakery, Enid

• Eat It Up, Hennessey

• 40 Martyrs Cigars

• Hoodoo’s Roosters, OKC

• Jam Packed With Love

• Jennifer (chocolate bites), Hennessey

• Main St. Mercantile & Cookie Co., Hennessey

• Mama’s Sweet Rolls, Enid

• Melissa Neito (hot pepper infused chocolate)

• MK Concessions and Pickles, Cleo Springs

• Nothing Bundt Cakes, Stillwater

• Pecans of Merritt, Anne Jones, Hennessey

• Power Fuel Protein Balls, Lacey

• Sparky’s Eatery, Hennessey • Sweet & Sassy Treats, Okeene

• The Hive, Sheila Duell, Hennessey

Vendors Must Sign Up in Advance

Contacts to do so are:

• Wine-Beer Chairman Dagan Hardin (405-8530191 or ddwodrum@yahoo. com).

• Chocolate Chairman Tracie Macy (405-8531545 or trottreeves@yahoo. com).

There are a limited number of vendor spaces remaining and sign-ups will continue on a first-come basis.

United provides each vendor with a table.

There is no charge to wine/craft beer and chocolate vendors, but they must provide samples to festival goers.

Vendors who do not have wine, beer or chocolate at their booths will be charged a $45 fee.

Admission Still $20 – Bring ID

There are no printed tickets this year, but costs remain the same as years before: $20 per person for wine and chocolate and that includes a wine glass.

For chocolate only, the cost is $5.

Cash or credit cards will be accepted at the gate, or may be purchased at Eventbrite.com.

ID’s will be checked at the gate.

Firefighter Steak Sandwiches

Hennessey volunteer firefighters will again grill up steaks for sandwiches for the same price as last year, $10, said Fire Chief Brandon Scott. The price includes a bag of chips, and a bottle of water. If you only want water, it’s $1.

About the Festival

This is United’s 13th year to sponsor the festival. It’s currently the non-profit’s only fundraiser.

It allows United to assist with its own community projects as well as others.

The non-profit was started in 2000 by Helen Cline and Jean Anne Casey.

The first Wine & Chocolate Festival was held in 2011 and it was skipped one year due to COVID.

Voskuhl and Zielny Are New Directors

Lisa Voskuhl and Ashley Zielny were elected as new United board members at this month’s meeting.

That makes four new members. Tracie Macy and Angie Bruner were elected as directors last month.

David Jones, who was a visitor at the meeting, was also nominated to fill another board seat after Secretary Cathy Howard said Kim Gritz was resigning.

Howard said the board had to first accept Gritz’s letter of resignation next month before it could appoint a replacement.

Gritz also resigned as the festival’s Chocolate chairman due to a conflict on that date and Macy is now that chairman.

Cline and Teresa Buckner resigned earlier this year and Kaden Mitchell resigned last month after serving on the board as an HHS junior through to his recent college graduation.

At the Meeting

Officers at the meeting were President Scottie Hajek and Howard.

Directors attending were Mayor Harold Shaw, Hardin, Brooklyn Harris (student member), Macy, Bruner, Voskuhl, Zielny and Barb Walter. Absent were Vice President Renee Vaverka-Curry, Treasurer Tammy Lott-Hopkins and Gritz.

In addition to David Jones, also in the audience was Karel Hajek.

Next Meeting Oct. 24

The board’s regular meetings are the third Thursday of each month but Howard said that’s also the fall school break.

She suggested they meet the next week on Oct. 24. Members quickly agreed and adjourned.