Anyone who likes to enjoy a sunny, 70-degree day listening to live music and shopping in an idyllic Kansas setting will want to check out a new event on Sunday at Prairie Hill Vineyard in Colwich.
The event, called Rootstock, is a celebration of “love, peace and potted plants,” says its founder and Prairie Hill Vineyard owner Daniel Stockemer.
It will take over part of his sprawling, scenic farm and vineyard, which will be filled with art, woodwork and plant vendors. Visitors can take hayrack rides and fly kites, and kids can get balloons. Food trucks will dot the grounds.
All the while, attendees will be serenaded by music from a long list of local musical acts, including “American Idol” star Phil Stacey and headliners Pretend Friend and the Haymakers.
Rootstock also will include presentations by plant experts throughout the day, who will speak on topics ranging from “Using Native Plants” to “Growing Grapes in Kansas.”
“It’s really designed to have people bring lawn chairs and a blanket and sit out and enjoy the music,” Stockemer said. “And it’s supposed to be a beautiful afternoon.”
Stockemer has long used his 20-acre property, which sits about 20 miles northwest of Wichita, as a wedding venue, and it’s booked nearly every weekend.
In 2021, he completed construction on a 12,000-square-foot event center, which has bride and groom changing suites and a hall big enough to hold 500. (That’s where the American Institute of Wine and Food put on its Decant ICT wine event last year.) The property has several structures on it, including a cozy cottage Stockemer lists on Airbnb.
Stockemer lived much of his young life on the property but eventually moved to Sonoma County, California, where he lived for 11 years. He came back later in his life and planted a vineyard at the farm “to make it look like Sonoma County,” he said.
Source: yahoo.com
Photo Credit: istock-JHVEPhoto
Categories: Kansas, Rural Lifestyle