by Melanie Jongsma LANSING, Ill. (October 2, 2021) – Saturday’s forecasted rain held off until 3:00pm, giving Fall Wine Walk participants plenty of time to walk Ridge Road and visit the 10 businesses serving as “wine stops.” The event started at noon at Fox Pointe, where registered Wine Walkers checked in and picked up an ID badge and a gift bag before heading out to Ridge Road.Lansing Area Chamber Board member Colleen Dickson (left) and Chamber Director Amy Todd greeted Fall Wine Walk participants and helped them get checked in. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) Registered participants headed out of Fox Pointe to Ridge Road with their list of wine stops in hand. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) Michaela Vaughan is new to the Lansing business community, and the Fall Wine Walk gave her an opportunity to show her upscale beauty salon to potential clients. She served mini cheesecakes with samples of a sparkling red wine and a Syrah. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) The Maple family enjoyed last October’s Wine Walk and returned for this one. From left: Luella Maple, Brenlin Maple, Kimberly Nowicki, Beverly Maple (the matriarch), Terry Maple, and Kendra Rodgers pause outside of L&M Jewelers where they sampled Merlot and Pinot Grigio. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) The Lansing Junior Woman’s Club had a pop-up location near the Fireman’s Memorial on Ridge Road. From left: Debbie DiLeonarde, Rosalie Putignano, Gloria Chavez Gomez, Retta Putignano, and Darlene Jahn served participants Marie and Leo Valencia a Moscato and a Red Barberra. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) In addition to sampling wine, Pam Altgilbers (right) and Cassie Velez spent the afternoon supporting local businesses. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) Cousins Judy Rock (left) and Linus Clark own and operate Every Good Gift at 3516 Ridge Road, where they make and sell a variety of custom goods on site. They served samples of a Moscato and a Chianti to participants. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) Ridge Animal Clinic is located on the Lansing-Munster border, but they set up a pop-up tent near the Clock Tower in order to participate in the Fall Wine Walk. Mary Wegrzyn (left) and Jackie Arteaga gave away gift bags to pet lovers as well as serving samples of Camina White and Cabernet Sauvignon. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) Emily Parpart said the Wine Walk brought new people into Towne Interiors (3219 Ridge Road), where she served samples of Sauvignon Blanc and a Red Blend. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) In addition to enjoying wine, participants enjoy the walk. The Ridge Road business district offers wide sidewalks and a variety of small shops that are easy to access on foot. Some participants signed up as groups that traveled the route together. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) S.L. Wine Bar (3224 Ridge Road) provided an opportunity for Wine Walkers to sit and socialize before continuing their journey. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) At Gayety’s Chocolates and Ice Cream (3304 Ridge Road) samples of Sparkling Sweet Red and Dry Red were paired with Gayety’s hand-crafted chocolates. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) John Todd is one of the owners of Pour on Roy (18155 Roy Street), and he served samples of four different wines to Wine Walk participants — (from right) Private Label House White, Private Label House Red Blend, Rosé, and an Octoberfest wine. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma) The final stop of the Fall Wine Walk was the Lansing Area Chamber office at 18155 Roy Street, where Sue Seymour helped serve desserts along with Chardonnay and Sparkling Grape Wine samples. Raffle tickets for a variety of gift baskets were also for sale. (Photo: Melanie Jongsma)
The raffle winners were announced via Facebook Live at 4:00pm. “Thank you to everyone who participated in the Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce Fall Wine Walk,” said Director Amy Todd in the video. “Thank you to everyone who donated, everyone who participated, to all of our businesses who were stops on the Wine Walk. We really appreciate everything you do for the Chamber. Look forward to our next one that we do in the spring!”
The Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is located at 18155 Roy Street in Lansing, Illinois.
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