Hocking Hills is home to beautiful scenery and well-known hiking trails. Alongside the great outdoors, Hocking Hills also is home to wineries and breweries, offering visitors another eventful experience to try out.
During these unprecedented times, finding ways to safely gather and enjoy a night out is difficult. Many people miss gathering in large crowds to listen to live music. Others simply miss the opportunity to spend a night out knowing they are surrounded in the comfort of others.
However, to safely encourage alternatives to these two longings and to promote safe gathering, Hocking Hills Winery has taken the opportunity to host live music. Customers can sit back and listen to live music while sipping on Hocking Hills premium table wine throughout these next few cold months.
While enjoying wine made by their own local grapes, and others from around the world, customers can listen to several different artists on Fridays and Saturdays.
Some of the artists include: Ingham Station, Dr. Dan (covers), Dwayne Haggy, TJ George, 732 The Electric Duo, Dave Hawkins, Jarron Sollee, Paul Blankenship and many more.
The artists’ music genres range from pop and rock to oldies, blues, country and more. The versatility leaves an opportunity for anyone to find music they would enjoy.
“They are one of my favorite places to go like they're wonderful,” Brad McNally, member of Ingham Station, said. “There’s always wonderful people there –– I mean, the staff are great. The crowd is good. They always have a great crowd in the summer.”
McNally shared that most times the crowd isn’t made up of local people but people come from all over to watch the performances.
McNally began making music with his wife, Jessica, and they have been performing folky Americana and using some original songs to bring the stage to life. Starting out, the McNally’s knew they would need a place to perform, and ultimately decided that the winery would be a great place to start.
The live music at the winery is a place for someone of any age to enjoy a show.
“When somebody's really enjoying the show, like when somebody is really enjoying whatever music you're playing,” McNally said. “Everybody else kind of enjoys it more. There was a little boy, who was seven, who was having the time of his life. His family was from, I think, near Canton. And they were down here. They have a pretty big draw of people, and it's nice to meet all kinds of different people. I would say it's one of the most fun places that we go.”
The winery provides a place for students to go as well.
“I definitely want to try it out,” Elaina Tartal, a junior studying political science and sociology-criminology, said. “I think it'd be a fun thing to go with my friends, for a weekend.”
Finding events to safely attend is difficult, especially on a college campus. People are wanting to stay safe in order to not risk the health of their family and friends. Students feel this is a good solution.
“I think it sounds like a really awesome event, especially because I know that all of the local businesses in this area have been really good about keeping everything safe with COVID guidelines and restrictions –– and keeping the community safe,” Cara Tee, a senior studying Spanish and Spanish education, said. “I think it's a really awesome opportunity that they're allowing musicians to come in and perform live music in a way that's going to be safe and beneficial for all the members of the community.”
