By Kyle Roberts
The Downtown Ruston Wine Walk 2022 will be held Friday, Oct. 28, from 6-8 p.m. all along the heart of the city of Ruston.
Main Street Director and Community Coordinator Amy Stegall has watched this event since its inception three years ago as a success in connecting Ruston and Lincoln Parish citizens together with stores and merchants in the downtown area.
“The Wine Walk started three years ago in 2019,” Stegall said. “This is our third one, but we missed one due to COVID in the middle. It was started by Tori Davis originally, and it was a raging success. We wanted to continue this into the future. The main thing is that it’s a night out to enjoy come to beautiful downtown Ruston in the fall, to relax, hang out with your friends, and have an opportunity to walk around and see some of the stores and merchants that you may have never seen before.”
Plenty of stores will be participating by offering beverages to ticket holders and will have the chance to connect with potential customers along the walk. In total, 33 stores will participate with 31 of those offering wine. Two will provide water and sparkling water options.
“This is a way to visit some stores and merchants that you may have never visited before and really get to know them,” Stegall said. “For example, one of my favorite stories was from two years ago. Two older ladies spent an hour playing pool at Limitless Grooming Lounge, which is on Trenton Street. It’s a barber shop, and women in a barber shop is first of all, very rare. Second, they were older, and the guys who own the shop are younger. It’s a great example of cool people in the community getting to know each other through this event.
“Some people will say that they can never find ‘blank,’ and you just walk into a store and realize that there it is, such as finding a place to buy a sports coat downtown,” Stegall added. “It’s a great way to discover what we have to offer and getting to know the merchants is really key, and they love that. It’s an opportunity to have time to get to know people.”
While tickets have sold out, residents are still invited to come downtown and observe the festivities.
“If you want to just come in and visit the merchants, you are welcome to do that,” Stegall said. “In order to do the wine tasting, you do still have to have a map and the tasting cup. But if you want to come out and see what it’s all about, we’re not going to turn anyone down. We want you to still come out and shop and grab a bite for dinner. You will have the same opportunity to meet people just like everyone else.”
