In January, Cambria is usually a sleepy little town, but for the past few years, the small community just 35 miles north of San Luis Obispo has sought to liven things up a bit.
The Cambria Art and Wine Festival starts today and will run through the weekend, rain or shine. The fifth annual festival offers wine tasting, fine dining, and local artists’ work.
“It was kind of my brainchild I got stuck with,” said Nancy McKarney, who chairs the event. McKarney said they are expecting more people than ever this year and that Friday’s kick-off event has been sold out for over a month.
Of the part of the weekend she’s most looking forward to, she joked, “Monday morning when it’s all over.”
This year, they have added another day and another event to the festival.
“It has grown from a one-day event to a three-day event in four years,” said Mary Ann Carson, executive director of the Cambria Chamber of Commerce. Carson has been involved with the Chamber of Commerce for 10 years and helps put on the festival along with the Allied Arts Association.
Saturday includes wine tasting from all local wineries and an art show. The main event takes place at the Veterans’ Hall, but additional wine tasting is available at the Joslyn Center on Main Street. Artists’ work is also displayed throughout the town. Art pieces are available for purchase through a silent auction, which closes at 5 p.m. that evening.
This year’s addition to the festival is a special banquet at the historic and award-winning Bramble’s Dinner House. The Kaperonis family, who has owned and operated the restaurant since 1982, will host the event on Saturday at 6 p.m. Each of the meal’s six courses is paired with a specially selected wine, most of which are from local wineries. The dinner requires a separate ticket, but includes all other events with its purchase.
Sunday’s event, an artists’ fair held in the Veterans’ Hall, allows guests to talk with local artists. Artists will be selling original work and reproductions. More wine tasting and a barbeque are also scheduled for Sunday.
Carson said the community has worked hard to promote the event, sending out press releases all over the state and advertising with two local radio stations and numerous publications.
Both McKarney and Carson said the festival helps bring people into town at a time they wouldn’t usually come.
“It’s working well,” Carson said.
Tickets to the event are still available, but limited. Carson said they expect the event to sell out. For more information on tickets or any of the events, contact the Cambria Chamber of Commerce at 927-3624.