Dayton Readies New Event

DAYTON - Early this spring, Port of Columbia Manager Jennie Dickinson invited local food producers to a meeting on the subject of ag-tourism, with the goal of identifying and promoting food producers and products already available in Colum- bia County.

That initial gathering of local "foodies" culminated in an entire weekend of food related activities known as The Heirloom Gardeners Food and Wine Weekend. The event, a joint effort of the Port of Columbia, the Chamber of Commerce and the Dayton Historic Depot, will take place Sept. 20-22.

The highlight of the weekend is an heirloom tomato tasting, wine tasting and dinner at TamiJoy Farms on Rocky Road Lane. The cost of $25 per person includes tastings of heirloom tomatoes, two wine tastings - with Dumas Station, Mor- tal Vintners and Mace Mead Works providing local wines and mead - and a dinner.

The dinner will feature German sausages made from Miller's pasture-raised pork and processed by Tu- cannon Meats. Chef Mandi Wendt, known for her artisan breads, will bake IPA Ched- dar buns for the sausages and Miller will make home- made mustard and sev- eral relishes. Beer Baked Beans will be provided by Fire and Irons Brew Pub. Mill- er's rustic mixed-berry hand-pies, made from lo- cally grown and wild berries, will debut as dessert.

Diners will receive infor- mation on the many variet- ies of heirloom tomatoes - typically more flavorful than hybrids - and will be encouraged to cast a ballot for their favorite. Guests will depart with a wine glass commemorating the event.

The weekend has grown well beyond the feature event to include a wide range of activities throughout Day- ton. Montiellet Fromagerie will offer wine and artisan cheese tastings and Mace Mead Works and Thresh- ers Bar & Grill will both offer live music and drink specials. Tours of Dayton's Historic Depot, the Palus Museum and the Boldman House Museum will be available throughout the weekend.

Curious foodies can get a "sneak peek" at the Ar- tisan Food Center at Blue Mountain Station, slated for completion this fall. Tours are Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Weinhard Hotel will be offering self-guided tours of their rooftop gar- dens on Friday evening and Warren Orchards will accept guests from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, to view the "Indian Head" silhouette above the orchard.

At 10 a.m. on Sunday, 'Wild Bill' will give tours of his East Patit Street organic garden on a first-come, first- served basis. Throughout the weekend, visitors are encouraged to visit Dayton's amazing restaurants, serving local products, as well as the Farmer's Market taking place at the Depot on Satur- day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"The weekend is about building momentum around local foods and local food processing," said Dickinson. "I see Dayton and Columbia County become a true 'food destination' in the future."

A schedule of events as well as pricing, lodging packages and ticket informa- tion can be found at heir- loomweekend.com.