A Little Bit of Shopping & A Little Bit of Sipping | Downtown Perry's Wine Tasting

In today's episode, Downtown Manager Alicia Hartley shares all the exciting information on the upcoming Downtown Perry Wine Tasting. You can join hundreds of Perry residents and visitors in the heart of Downtown for an evening of shopping, sipping, and live entertainment during one of Perry's most beloved events.

(0:58) An Annual Tradition
(1:23) Where Does The Money Go?
(2:03) What To Expect
(2:36) Downtown Is Open & Accessible (Even If You Don't Have a Ticket!)
(2:47) Red, White, and Bubbles!
(3:02) Sometimes You Need A Break
(3:34) How Will I Know Where To Go?
(4:13) How Do I Get My Tickets?
(4:45) Following The Rules (21 & Older)
(5:01) Public Parking
(5:34) Two Check-In Booths...Take Your Pick
(5:54) Not One...But TWO!
(6:46) When Can I Get My Tickets?

Get your Downtown Perry Wine Tasting tickets here.

Learn more about Downtown Perry by visiting our website.

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Visit us at perry-ga.gov.

We hope to see you around in our amazing community...Where Georgia Comes Together.

Transcript

Tabitha Clark: 0:00

It's perfect because you have the downtown atmosphere. And you get to do a little bit of shopping, a little bit of sipping, and enjoying some live entertainment. That's like the best Valentine's Day present ever.

Alicia Hartley: 0:09

A perfect evening in downtown Perry.

Tabitha Clark: 0:15

Welcome to the Inside Perry Podcast, where you get an inside look at Perry Georgia's local government. We're glad you chose Perry. Where people make the difference. Whether you stay a few hours or a lifetime, your time in Perry will be rewarding and unforgettable. I'm Tabitha Clark, communications manager for the City of Perry. In today's episode, we sit down with Alicia Hartley, downtown manager for historic downtown Perry to talk about the upcoming wine tasting event. So one of the most beloved events in historic downtown Perry is the wine tasting that the Main Street Promotions Committee puts on starting as becoming an annual tradition and a very popular one. So, Alicia. Let's talk about wine tasting and what people love about it.

Alicia Hartley: 1:06

Sure. So wine tasting has, like you said, become to be an annual event that's hosted by the promotions committee of the Main Street Advisory Board. Downtown Perry's Wine Tasting is a perfect evening out for a date night, a girl's night out, or just an evening on the town. This fundraiser goes to help the main street advisory board with many projects downtown. Most recently it was our alleyway project from the Ball Street alley, so, which is beautiful. Thank you so much. Yes. It's something we're very proud of and proud and glad that we can connect a fundraising event directly to a project that benefited downtown

Tabitha Clark: 1:41

and that you can see and go and use and enjoy.

Alicia Hartley: 1:44

Yes, exactly. Exactly. And then also fundraising dollars. Go to contribute to other projects throughout downtown too, over the course of the year.

Tabitha Clark: 1:52

It's super popular every year. Yes. April the 21st. Yes. Everybody's always asking. When's the next one? When's the next one? We finally have a date. April 21st. So tell us a little bit about what people can expect.

Alicia Hartley: 2:04

Sure. So on April 21st, downtown Perry's open late. Um, so our merchants act as wine stops . This year we are planning to have 25 or more wine stops. Each ticket will qualify you to sample 25 different wines of your choosing. While you're, um, tasting the wine, you can shop late. So that's a, also a great aspect of this event is it allows to shop late evening this year. We will have entertainment from a jazz band

Tabitha Clark: 2:31

Oh, nice.

Alicia Hartley: 2:31

On April 21st, downtown. And if people for some reason forget to order their tickets. Downtown's still open and accessible. We encourage everyone to come on out, shop late, dine at the restaurants, and enjoy the live entertainment.

Tabitha Clark: 2:44

So in these stops, I know that we are, this year are kind of doing more of a selection of wine.

Alicia Hartley: 2:50

Yes.

Tabitha Clark: 2:51

So both red and white.

Alicia Hartley: 2:54

Bubbles.

Tabitha Clark: 2:55

Bubbles. Oh, I love those. Those are my favorites. And we'll also have water stops, right?

Alicia Hartley: 3:00

Yes, that's right. Throughout the evening, we have merchants that participate as water stops, cause sometimes you need a break. And that's completely understandable.

Tabitha Clark: 3:08

That's right. Hydrate.

Alicia Hartley: 3:09

Exactly. Nothing wrong with hydrating. So it also gets you into some different shops that you may not have visited before. Which is one of the best parts about wine tasting. As you're on your hunt for your next stop, you'll walk into a store that you may not have known as been in downtown for very long. Or a store that you normally wouldn't walk into. So it's a really interesting aspect to get all of our downtown merchants involved with our local c ommunity.

Tabitha Clark: 3:31

So how are you gonna know where to go for these wine and water stops?

Alicia Hartley: 3:35

All tickets will be available to purchase online. Tickets are not available to purchase at the door, so once you arrive to the event for the evening, on April 21st, once you check in, you'll receive a lanyard. That's kind of like your passport credentials for the evening. So every time you stop at a wine stop, you get your pass. Port punched. Then we'll also provide you with a tasting cup and a map as well, labeling where all of your local wine stops will be for the evening. That are participating as well as water stops.

Tabitha Clark: 4:02

Right. Perfect. So people will know exactly where to go. And explore downtown while you're drinking wine and having a great time.

Alicia Hartley: 4:09

Of course. Yeah.

Tabitha Clark: 4:09

So let's talk about tickets. You had talked about that they will be available online. So we'll have them available through the shop downtown Perry facebook page, also a have it on the Downtown City's website.

Alicia Hartley: 4:21

Yes.

Tabitha Clark: 4:21

As well. And the City of Perry government page and website. Are their limit on tickets? How is that gonna work?

Alicia Hartley: 4:27

Tickets this year are$50 a piece, and one individual can purchase as many tickets, but upon check-in a ticket will be checked and an ID will be checked for each individual that will be participating in the event.

Tabitha Clark: 4:41

So that's kind of important to know is yes, you have to be 21 or older

Alicia Hartley: 4:44

Be 21 or older, and please bring your id. We are following the rules. So if you do not have an id, but you do have a ticket upon check-in, unfortunately you will not be permitted to enter the event under the guise of wine tasting.

Tabitha Clark: 4:56

Parking. So obviously this will take place downtown, which will have some road closures and things like that. So where can people find where to park?

Alicia Hartley: 5:05

Yes. So you can find out all the public parking that's available on our downtown Perry website, as well as some maps that will push out as the event gets closer. Personally, I suggest parking in the public parking parallel spots on Main Street.

Tabitha Clark: 5:20

Yes, there's plenty of those. Mm-hmm.

Alicia Hartley: 5:21

And it's very accessible. Literally less than half a block in, you'll be right be right in the core of the wine tasting footprint.

Tabitha Clark: 5:29

So there'll be check-in booths?

Alicia Hartley: 5:31

Yes. They'll be two check in booths. Check-in booths this year, similar to what we did last year, we found that worked very well with the over 500 people. We had jobs that evening, so one of the check-in tens will be on the 900 block of Carroll in front of the Swanson and then the other check-in tent is on Ball Street near Bodega Brew.

Tabitha Clark: 5:51

So Alicia, it sounds like the April 21st wine tasting, of course, is gonna be another major success. It's been one of the events that gets talked about year rounds.

Alicia Hartley: 6:00

Yes.

Tabitha Clark: 6:00

The great thing though is that there's not just one this year

Alicia Hartley: 6:04

Not in 2023. That's right. The promotions committee has found that the downtown Perry wine tasting is such an event that people look forward to year after year. And it's something that we do Right. And we do well. Mm-hmm.. So we want to be able to share the love more than once a year. So this year we're excited to announce that we will have an additional wine tasting in the fall this year. That will be Friday, October 20th.

Tabitha Clark: 6:27

Wonderful. And I know people will be super excited. And don't forget that those tickets do sell out quickly.

Alicia Hartley: 6:33

Yes, yes.

Tabitha Clark: 6:34

So if you're not. Subscribe to our text alerts through Perry Points. You can subscribe to the Downtown News and we will send that link out. And when are tickets available?

Alicia Hartley: 6:43

Tickets will be available for the April 21st wine tasting, beginning on February 10th at 8:00 AM just in time to get some last minute Valentine's Day gifts.

Tabitha Clark: 6:52

Perfect.

Alicia Hartley: 6:53

Um, so that'll be, wonderful . While that ticket link is live now on our Facebook page, you can't purchase tickets, but you can sign up for an email reminder when the tickets officially go live on February 10th.

Tabitha Clark: 7:03

That's right. So you get your sweetheart a wine tasting ticket.

Alicia Hartley: 7:07

Yes.

Tabitha Clark: 7:07

And it's perfect cause you have the downtown atmosphere. And you get to do a little bit of shopping, a little bit of sipping, and enjoying some live entertainment. Yes, that's like the best Valentine's Day present ever.

Alicia Hartley: 7:18

A perfect evening in downtown Perry.

Tabitha Clark: 7:23

You can learn more about historic downtown Perry's wine tasting event on our website at perry g dot o v slash downtown. Thanks for listening to Inside Perry. Your inside look at Perry Georgia's local government. Take a look at the show notes for more information about today's episode. If you like inside Perry, we encourage you to subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you around in our amazing community where Georgia comes together.