September events offer a buffet for tastebuds, heart and eye
Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos
The American standard “September Song”, sung by the late, great Tony Bennett, Nat “King” Cole and countless crooners, reminds us that days grow short, dwindling to a precious few, when the calendar flips to the ninth month.
Three events in the month – the Alabama Wine Festival, Art on the Rocks and A Taste of Northeast Alabama – make the precious – and prayerfully, cooler – days more wonderful.
Here’s a brief look at three events set for the Neely Henry Lake region of the Coosa River:
The Alabama Wine Festival
Wine lovers will sip the traditions of Europe crafted here by Alabama vintners. The third annual Alabama Wine Festival, hosted on the grounds of Duck Springs’ Wills Creek Winery, celebrates the state’s growing winemaking industry.
The festival is set for Sept. 16 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets for the adults only event are $30 per person. Designated driver tickets are free. Designated drivers must be 21 or older. Identification is required.
Eats will be available from local food trucks, and wine will be available to sample and purchase. And festivalgoers will be serenaded by live music.
Jahn (cq) and Janie Coppey own Wills Creek Winery. Born in Switzerland and a former NASA engineer, Jahn is a dual Swiss-American citizen, as is his American-born bride, Jamie.
Fitting for the makers of wine, romance is at the heart of the Wills Creek story. When Jahn Coppey came to America in 1971 to work in the space program in Huntsville, he spoke four languages – French, German, Spanish and Italian. He moved to London to learn English, but by his own admission, his understanding was “very poor.”
When he came to Alabama, he was introduced to a teacher who spoke some French. She was tasked with growing the young mathematician’s English fluency. The language of love took over, and a year later, Jahn and Janie Coppey were married.
That was 51 years ago.
Jahn and Janie opened Wills Creek Winery in 1996. And while at first blush, the journey from working on the space program to owning a winery may seem a giant leap, Jahn is a third-generation vintner, with roots in Switzerland’s breathtaking Rhone River Valley. Wine has been made in the region since the time of the Romans.
There’s also some heritage in Janie Coppey’s family, which has called Duck Springs home since the 1830s
Since Wills Creek opened, the couple has worked tirelessly, not only to grow the state’s winemaking industry, but also to advocate for a change in Alabama’s antiquated liquor laws. The Alabama Wine Festival’s aim is to grow the industry and deliciously make visitors aware of the state’s wine business.
Interestingly, Alabama’s soil is one of two places in America perfect for growing exclusive Pinot Noir grapes. The sweltering, unpredictable Southern summers aren’t cooperative. Still, native Muscadine grapes and their more than 100 varieties thrive here, and the Coppeys craft wine from Alabama Muscadines and other fruits found across the globe.
When Wills Creek opened, there were only three wineries in the state. Now there are 37 federally permitted wineries in the state, but less than half are working wineries.
Last year, 11 Alabama wineries participated in the Alabama Wine Festival, attracting 300 people from 15 states.
Jahn Coppey sees vintage years ahead for the wine festival and the growth of the winemaking art in Alabama. But people still ask the same question.
“We’ve been in business 22 years, but people still ask if we’re legal,” Jahn says.
They also have to endure some skepticism from Jahn’s family across the Atlantic.
“They say I’m crazy,” he says. “But what I tell them is I can sell my wine. You can’t.”
And the Coppeys hope to take a page from a small Swiss village near Lake Geneva, that conducted its first wine festival 30 years ago. “They have grown so much,” Jahn says. “They have built some hotels. They’ve built some Air B&Bs all around. Now 30,000 people have been coming to that event.”
The festival benefits neighboring cities and towns, like Gadsden.
“Anytime somebody comes like the wine festival – even though it’s not located in Gadsden, typically they’ve got to stay in Gadsden, John Moore, the city’s director of commercial development, says. “So, it always helps us with our tourism dollars. Even though it’s not in Gadsden, we will help support it. No matter who comes to Etowah County, as long as it’s in Etowah County, Gadsden’s going to benefit.
And the Alabama Wine Festival is catching the public’s attention.
“It’s the thing to do. People want to come and drink wine and have a good time. We have a lot of property here. We can expand and do a lot of things.”
Tourists, including some in RVs are discovering Wills Creek and Alabama wines. The Alabama Wine Festival hopes attract more wine explorers. “We have people driving from New York to New Orleans, and when they’re on the way back, they stop again … It’s beautiful.”
For more information on the Alabama Wine Festival, go to willscreekwinery.com.
Art on the Rocks
Beauty is at the heart of one of Alabama’s great natural wonders, Noccalula Falls. On Sept. 16 and 17, the banks of falls and that part of the Coosa River will come alive with artists, craftspeople and artisans, with everything from paintings to homemade pottery, candles and farm-raised jars of sweet honey and homemade jellies and jams. Woodcarvers and homemade soap makers are among the cornucopia of craftspeople.
Art on the Rocks happens twice annually, this year in April and September. A mainstay on the Alabama festival calendar for nearly two decades, creative folks from across the Southeast come to Noccalula Falls to show their wares. And those items must pass muster, Moore says.
“The coolest thing about what we do is – that not everybody does – is that we vet every single vendor to ensure that their arts and crafts are all handmade,” Moore says. “I don’t think that every arts and crafts festival does that. We’re ensuring that every single vendor out there has homemade arts and crafts.”
The setting adds to the joy of Art on the Rocks, with cool breezes easing the summer heat. Vendors are spread throughout the park, giving visitors a real taste of the outdoors. And food vendors are also at work during Art on the Rocks.
“The setting of it is in Noccalula Falls and it is in the fall so you get a little bit of a taste of the whole area,” Moore says.
September events like Art on the Rocks mean hundreds of thousands of tourism dollars to the local economy, Moore says.
“You’re talking about 2,000 people that are coming into Etowah County to spend their money,” Moore says.
“I preach the fact that we always want to put out a good product,” Moore says. “Because if we put out a good product, we can build on that.”
For more on Art on the Rocks, visit noccalulafallspark.com.
A Taste of Northeast Alabama
One of the newer events on the Neely Henry Lake region’s festival calendar is a foodie’s Nirvana.
Now in its second year, A Taste of Northeast Alabama features restaurants and caterers from all over Northeast Alabama, clear to the Tennessee line.
The Venue at Coosa Landing in Gadsden is home to the culinary celebration, held this year on Sept. 21 from 5 to 8 p.m. Only 500 tickets are available at $20 each. Some 40 to 45 caterers and restaurants will be on hand, serving up their kitchen magic. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Altrusa of Gadsden, an international service organization made up of local clubs.
Visitors can leisurely stroll and taste the best the region has to offer.
The bounce of the festivals, whether for wine, or food, or arts and crafts is that people come to the region, stay in local accommodations, eat locally and shop in local stores.
“It’s huge for us,” Moore says.
And from Gadsden to Duck Springs and across Etowah County, local communities benefit from the natural beauty.
“Most communities would give their left arm to have a natural falls with a huge gorge that sits in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, or a city would give their left arm to have a Coosa River running through their town, or to have a thriving downtown Broad Street like we have, Moore says. “And to have all three of those, that’s what we capitalize on. That’s our strength here in Gadsden.”
The September festivals are part of a concerted effort to transform the region into a tourist destination, not a quick stop on the way to Atlanta. Think concerts at the Depression-era Mort Glosser Amphitheater, an entertainment district, more campgrounds, recreation and more.
“We want Gadsden to be known as ‘Fun Town,’” Moore said.
For more information, visit A Taste of Northeast Alabama at greatergadsden.com.
