Summer concerts bring 20,000 visitors to Arbor Crest

Even though summer is winding down, there is still a chance to enjoy the last of it with music at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars, 4705 N. Fruit Hill Road.

“Overall, it’s been great,” said general manager Jim van Loben Sels.

The winery booked 40 concerts this summer and van Loben Sels said they have probably had close to 20,000 visitors. They try not to book any act more than once, but there is a lot of demand for some, like local favorite Sammy Eubanks who made two appearances this summer.

“It’s pretty bustling,” he said.

When concerts started at the winery in 2000, they were in the tasting room with only two employees. A big crowd was 75 people.

“We weren’t set up for it,” van Loben Sels said. Now, they have 30 employees and concerts are held outside. “It’s just a different ball game. It’s fun to see how the community gets behind it.”

He said the concerts are a great way to have a fun, kid-free evening out, since the concerts are for 21 and older, mostly because Arbor Crest’s Cliff House is a historic site and isn’t set up for small children.

Concertgoers bring chairs, picnics and blankets. They can sit close to the music and dance or sit farther away to chat while enjoying background music.

“It is informal,” he said. “I think that’s what people like.”