Viewfinder: Food, Drink and Tunes Served Up at Washington Festival

Nearly 900 people came out to Mingo Creek Park this past weekend to eat, drink and be merry at the first annual Washington Wine, Jazz & Pops Festival. Proceeds from ticket sales for the event will be equally divided to benefit both the Washington Symphony Orchestra and the Mental Health Association of Washington County.

The festival was a two-day-long celebration of food, wine and music. Among the food vendors was Palazzo 1837 Ristorante, which served up slow-roasted baby back ribs with a whiskey glaze and grilled and smoked sweet corn on the cob basted in a drawn butter sauce.

Palazzo co-owner Susanne Sager said that the corn, which the restaurant has coined “bodacious sweet corn,” was fresh-picked from the Sager family farm in Belle Vernon. As a seasonal item, it is being served as a complimentary side dish at the restaurant, while supplies last.

Other savory selections included antipasti dishes from Angelo’s Restaurant; stuffed mushrooms and spinach and artichoke dip with chips from Southside Restaurant; and, barbecue chicken, hot dogs, hot sausage, pulled pork sandwiches and french fries from mobile food vendor Coleman’s BBQ.

Those who saved room for dessert could choose between frozen treats from Mingo Twist & Shake and homemade baked goods, such as cookies, pies and cakes, from The Spring House.

Patrons were invited to wash down the savory and the sweet with wine samples from four different Pennsylvania wineries—Arrowhead Wine Cellars of , The Winery at Wilcox, Plum Run Winery and Courtyard Wineries.

Representatives from Courtyard Wineries came from North East, Penna., to participate in the event. They brought with them six different wines, comprised of a trio of traditional dry wines from the winery’s La Courette label and a trio of sweet wines from its Barjo Bons label.

A jewelry and organic body product vendor, So Zen Organics, was also on hand at the event, selling a variety of sterling silver stone and gem jewelry.

Numerous musical acts performed across the two-day festival. Jazz guitarist Eric Suseoff opened on Saturday, followed by the Paul Thompson Quartet and Tony Grey Project. Sunday’s performers included the Beau Street Players, Catfish Creek Revival, Tom Roberts & Susanne Ortner-Roberts, Brass Unlimited and the 70-piece Washington Symphony Orchestra.

The Washington Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yugo Ikach, performed classical music and pops.

When asked what pops was, Maryanne Weinstein, President of the Washington Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, said, “Basically, it’s recognizable, popular music from movies and Broadway musicals, like Phantom of the Opera, Harry Potter, Star Wars or Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther score.”

Weinstein went on to say that pops performances are just one of the many ways the Washington Symphony Orchestra tries to make classical music and instrumentation more accessible to the public. Other ways, she said, include the antics of the symphony’s charismatic conductor as he jokes, explains and amuses during his performances.

And, of course, the festival itself was a way of bringing music to the masses—and of promoting the symphony’s tenth anniversary season.

For information on the Washington Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming performances, season ticket sales and ways you can support the symphony, visit its website at www.washsym.org.