The Geneva Area Grape Jamboree
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The Jamboree brings upwards of 200,000 people to downtown Geneva every September for family-friendly events such as its Grape Stomp, a juicy competition for barefoot kids and adults, and the Pie Eating Contest, which challenges folks to consume grape pies without using their hands. This year’s Jamboree also features a midway and rides, a car show and craft fair, Saturday and Sunday parades, and entertainment that ranges from the syncopated sounds of the Buffalo Bills Drumline to Green River, a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band. Although local wineries offer tastings, the Jamboree is famous for its flavorful Concord grape juice. “The juice is fresh-squeezed at the grape growers’ booth, and you can buy it by the cup, half-gallon, or gallon,” says Johnson. Also available are grape pies, grape ice cream, and the ever-popular Purple Cow, a float made from grape juice and vanilla ice cream. “If you go to the Jamboree,” notes Johnson, “you’ve got to have a Purple Cow.”
Photos courtesy Grape Jamboree
Photos courtesy Charles Blocker
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Everything’s coming up purple at the 54th Geneva Area Grape Jamboree, an annual harvest celebration in northeast Ohio’s grape belt. “Geneva sits in a narrow band of land along Lake Erie where the climate is suited for growing grapes,” says Jamboree president Dave Johnson. “Concords are our No. 1 grape by acreage, but we produce lots of wine grapes, too.”
—DAMAINE VONADA
The Geneva Area Grape Jamboree, September 23–24, 2017. For information, call 440-466-5262 or visit www.grapejamboree.com.
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