Toasting to 21 years

SANDUSKY — Celebrating 21 years, the annual Toast of Ohio Wine Heritage Festival will take place from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 13 at the Jackson Street Pier in downtown Sandusky. The festival will feature eight Ohio wineries, food truck options and the Sandusky Art League, which will display and sell crafts as well as offer live music. Admission to sample wine is $25 per person and includes a souvenir Toast of Ohio wine glass and five complimentary wine tastings. Souvenir wine glasses are limited to the first 400. A second price point is being offered at $20 and includes a plastic wine cup and five complimentary wine tastings. Tickets will also be available to purchase for exchange of wine tastings. Wine tasting tickets are $4 each. Participating wineries include Firelands Winery, Humble Bee Vineyards, VooDoo Wines, D&D Smith Winery, Chateau Winery, Vermilion Valley Vineyards, Fox Winery and Matus Winery. Admission fees benefit the sponsoring Merry-Go-Round Museum and its music education department. Food selections will be offered by Strawberry Cow, MacaRonnie's and the Gaucho & The Gringa food trucks. Additionally, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 13, the Merry-Go-Round Museum will offer special admission of $5 during the festival. People can learn more by calling the museum at 419-626-6111 or visiting merrygoroundmuseum.org. Because of the lakeshore climate, this region once featured huge vineyards that spread from east of Sandusky to the western region near the bay because of the lakeshore climate. The Toast of Ohio event was developed to celebrate the area's winemaking heritage. Dozens of wineries still operate in the region today.