Sip & Saveur Takes Over Downtown McMinnville
By 5 p.m., Main Street in downtown McMinnville had changed.
The traffic was gone (for the most part), the streets were open to foot traffic, and for one evening, the downtown became a place to wander, listen to music, sample food and drinks, visit local businesses and spend time with friends.
That was Sip & Saveur, the annual wine and art crawl benefiting the Junior Auxiliary of McMinnville.
The event gives ticket holders the opportunity to move throughout downtown while enjoying samples from participating businesses. There were two ticket options available - drinking tickets and non-drinking tickets - making the evening accessible to people who wanted to enjoy the event without participating in the alcohol tastings.
And the businesses involved weren't simply opening their doors and waiting for customers. Many stayed open later to welcome the crowd, turning Sip & Saveur into an evening that involved much of the downtown business community.
For me, part of the fun was simply seeing what was around the next corner.
Our first stop was Citizens Tri-County, where a delicious pimento cheese tart was paired with pepper jelly. It was a small bite, but the combination of creamy pimento cheese and the sweetness of the pepper jelly worked exceptionally well. There were also sausage balls and a Captain Morgan punch to go along with it.
Then came Magness Library, where the drink of the evening may have already been waiting.
Their Forbidden Punch combined bourbon, whiskey, apple cider and ginger beer. After a few stops, it earned a 4 out of 5 from me—and at that point in the evening, it was the best drink I'd had so far.
At Tennessee Tatercakes, things took a decidedly more indulgent turn.
Their Friendly Buffalo featured fried tater cakes topped with Buffalo chicken, ranch, jalapeños and pimento cheese. It was incredible. The freshness and crispness of the jalapeños made them the star of the dish.
And then there were the beer cheese tots.
Those were amazing. The best creamy beer cheese I've had in forever.
Collins River BBQ offered a spiked Arnold Palmer, while Amplified Audio served up an electric blue lemonade. Begonias had three different wines available to sample, giving visitors yet another reason to keep moving and exploring.
And that, in many ways, is what makes Sip & Saveur different from simply going out for dinner or drinks.
You're not staying in one place.
You're walking.
You're talking.
You're hearing music from Ninth Sun, a local band that I found both talented and entertaining. You're ducking into businesses you may not normally visit. You're discovering food and drinks you might not have ordered otherwise.
And you're doing all of it with a downtown full of other people doing exactly the same thing.
Kirby Stewart Williams, who is in her fourth year with Junior Auxiliary, said “Sip n Saveur is our biggest fundraiser of the year. It provides us with the funds to do our welfare projects for children in our community. It's a night where people of our community can come out and have a fun night with friends and support Junior Auxiliary in the process.”
That combination seems to be at the heart of the event.
People get a night out. Local businesses get the opportunity to showcase what they offer. Local artists get exposure. Musicians get a stage. And Junior Auxiliary raises money to continue serving children and families throughout the community.
"The organization's mission centers on empowering women to serve their communities through organized volunteerism, with much of its charitable work directed toward the physical, medical, financial and emotional needs of children and youth."
Its slogan says it simply: “Caring hearts. Helping hands. Changing lives.”
Walking through downtown during Sip & Saveur, it's easy to see the first two parts of that slogan in action.
The third is what happens after the event is over.
Williams described Sip & Saveur as a gathering unlike anything else put on in Warren County and said Junior Auxiliary is “so blessed” by the community's turnout and continued support.
I think that's what I took away from the evening.
Yes, there was wine.
There were creative cocktails, punch, beer, food, art and live music.
But underneath all of that was something even more important: people coming together in the middle of their own downtown to support an organization that spends its time supporting others.
And maybe that's the best part of an event like Sip & Saveur.
You can come for the food.
You can come for the drinks.
You can come for the music.
But somewhere along the way, you're also helping make a difference in your own community.
