Atascadero’s annual Lakeside Wine Fest grand tasting uncorks this June 23, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Atascadero Lake Park, which (as I spent some childhood years in A-Town) I will always associate with the nearby Charles Paddock Zoo. Long gone are the days when the best thing to do at the park was feed the geese stale bread, skip stones, and marvel at the monkeys swinging from branch to branch. Now, this grassy, sprawling shore has become pretty famous for its summer cluster of wineries, breweries, and cideries! There’s a lot to this little fest by the lake, including a winemaker dinner at the Pavillion on June 22 and a Sunday Fun Day “wine” down June 24. Whatever your wine fest experience, don’t forget to capture it on your iPhone or camera for your chance to win the annual photo contest. Take my advice, though. Don’t ever try to trick a goose into taking a selfie with you. It never ends well.
The Atascadero Lake Park is located at 9315 Pismo Ave., Atascadero; learn more about the festival at atascaderochamber.org. Ī
Hayley Thomas Cain likes the chinchilla best. She can be reached at hthomas@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Winning Images 2018.