Greetings!

This Sunday is Father's Day, which feels like a good excuse to talk about my dad.

Richard Fay (or Dick, or Rit, depending on who’s talking to him) has been to every Burlington Wine & Food Festival since the very first one, back in 2010. This will be number 15. My mom, Judy, too…although she'll tell you she's there for the food and the people, not the wine. She's a teetotaller, which in my family made her either a saint or a very good sport, depending on how you look at it.

For years, my dad was the guy showing up Thursday at Waterfront Park to help set up. Schlepping tables on Friday. Cleaning up empty bottles on Sunday. He didn't have to do any of it…he just showed up, every year, because that's how he rolls. At the very first festival in 2010, they even got to meet Peggy Fleming — yes, the legendary Olympic ice skater — who was there pouring her wine.

Somewhere in the past few years, he’s earned a different role. These days, you'll find him holding court on the patio lounge with his brother (my godfather, Louie, who has also carried a table or two in his day)…glass of Chianti in hand, chatting up whichever unsuspecting souls happen to sit at their table. He's quite good at it.

Dad…thank you for every table you schlepped and every bottle you cleaned up. We love you guys.

Now, let’s talk about Hula on June 27th. Come find us…I'll introduce you.

If the Burlington Wine & Food Festival isn't on your radar this year, feel free to skip ahead to the Bites & Bottles column….we'll catch you there.

Still here? Good.

Because there’s a big week ahead! It starts on Tuesday the 23rd with Nourish to Flourish at the Wheeler House, our annual fundraiser with longtime partner Common Roots. Please consider buying a ticket for an evening of farm-fresh food, local wines, live music, a charity auction and a gorgeous setting…all for a great cause.

On Wednesday the 24th, our Champlain Dinner Club matches up small groups of folks who don’t yet know each other, and sends them out to dinner around Burlington. We’ve got a stellar slate of restaurants lined up, and registration closes Monday the 22nd at 6:30 p.m.

Then on Thursday the 25th, Bramble hosts Wine & Friends No. 9, and the menu has just been revealed. Once you take a peek (caviar? oysters? pork shoulder? Yes, please!), you’ll understand why these evenings sell out. Each course will be paired with wines hand-selected from the Bramble cellar. Purchase tickets here.

And JUST ADDED…on Friday the 26th, Hen of the Wood Burlington is hosting a pairing dinner with Familie Reinisch, a fourth-generation estate just south of Vienna, in the Butcher Room. It will feature a seasonal, five-course menu, paired with wines poured by the winery's own Global Sales Manager, who's flying in for the festival weekend. There are just 10 SEATS, and they will go fast. Grab yours before someone else does.

And then, of course, there's Saturday. June 27th, Hula Lakeside. Two sessions (12:30 to 3:30 and 5 to 8 p.m.). 200+ wines, 75 exhibitors, and the best of what Vermont's food and drink scene has to offer. Tickets and details are at burlingtonwineandfood.com. Have you considered that a festival ticket makes a pretty great gift for the dad who has everything except plans for next Saturday..?

Lastly…we're still looking for a few good humans for the Saturday evening shift. Volunteers consistently tell us they have a blast…and in exchange for a few hours of your time, you'll get a free t-shirt and a ticket to the afternoon session. Can't make it yourself? Gift the ticket to someone who can. Sign up here.

It’s going to be one busy week. We wouldn't have it any other way.

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Every June, bars, restaurants, and cocktail enthusiasts across the country come together for one week and one cocktail…and Barr Hill's Bee's Knees Week is the reason why. Running through Saturday the 21st, the annual celebration of the classic gin-lemon-honey drink is also a fundraiser for pollinator habitat…since 2017, participants have helped fund over one million square feet nationwide.

Lucky for us, our area has multiple ways to join in this year. Hen of the Wood in Waterbury is hosting a Bee's Knees dinner tonight, June 18th…14 seats at a communal table, five courses with Barr Hill cocktail pairings, and a spirits tasting led by the Barr Hill team. Not sure of availability as of press time, but give it a shot.

And here in Burlington, Juniper is also in on the fun: each bartender has put their own spin on the classic, available on the Juniper Terrace while the week lasts.

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Sweetwaters and The Archives have joined forces in a way that makes a lot of sense: customers playing arcade games or drinking cocktails at the Archives on College Street can now scan a QR code to order from the Sweetwaters menu, and staff from the Church Street restaurant will walk it over when it's ready. Two Burlington institutions, better together.

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Out in Vergennes, Basin Harbor has brought back its North Dock Dinners for the summer…they’ll feature an al fresco buffet on their scenic Lake Champlain shores on Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (and Sundays too, if you want the Lakeside Cookout version). Reservations highly recommended.

Need a fun and easy way to slide into the weekend? Mad River Distillers is hosting Game Night at their Burlington tasting room from 5 to 9 tonight…good games, good drinks, and the return of “Roll for Cocktail,” where your dice determine your drink.

Also tonight, Slate, the Burlington decor boutique, is hosting a Father’s Day Pop-Up with Local Maverick from 3 to 6 p.m….it’s free to attend, with several Vermont makers showing their wares, as well as a Father's Day gift raffle.

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Friday the 19th is a busy one. At the Burlington Waterfront, the Skinny Pancake kicks off its Dancing in the Streets series with Organized Dead, a Grateful Dead tribute trio, from 8 to 11 p.m. It’s a free show on the patio.

On the same night Shelburne Vineyard is hosting a Wit & Wine comedy show produced by Vermont Comedy All Stars. Doors are at 7 and the show at 8, and performers will be outside in the vines if the weather cooperates.

Also Friday, the Old North End Block Party returns to the parking lot at Brian's North End Automotive for its third year. The South End Get Down brings food vendors, artists, face painters, a full bar, and live music. It’s free to attend, and kids and dogs explicitly welcome.

Up in the Islands, Ellison Estates Vineyard opens its Grand Isle tasting room for the season Friday at noon, and on Saturday the 20th, they're throwing a Solstice Party from 2 to 4 p.m., with live music, bites from Jasper Hill and Monti Verdi, and sheep on the premises.

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There’s lots happening this Saturday the 20th, too. Back at Shelburne Vineyard, they’re hosting Soulshine Revival, one of Vermont's most acclaimed Allman Brothers tribute bands. We saw them last summer…they’re the real deal. Bring your chairs and a picnic, as the show happens out in the vines.

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Sunday morning, Burlington's Department of Public Works is celebrating the long-awaited Champlain Parkway with free creemees and coffee on the road itself from 10 a.m. to noon (enter from Home Avenue). There's a Run Vermont race, a touch-a-truck setup, and about 60 years of politics behind it. Come for the creemee…stay because you won’t believe it actually happened.

Also Sunday, Soda Plant Sundays kicks off its second year at the Soda Plant in Burlington, organized by Haymaker Bun Company. They’re filling up the space both indoors and out, with a long list of vendors including food, crafters, music and lots more.

And Sunday evening, Standing Stone Wines in Winooski is hosting Supernova, a drag show hosted by Lizzie Murderz with a full cast. Doors open at 7:30, with the show at 8. Tickets are $15, and the show is also finalist for Best LGBTQ+ Event in the Seven Daysies.

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Speaking of Pride Month…on Monday the 22nd, May Day is throwing a “Gay Day” fundraiser for Outright Vermont. They’ll have food and drink specials all night, with 20% of food sales going directly to the organization.

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On Wednesday the 24th, Lost Lantern is launching United States of Bourbon at a party at Prohibition Pig, and founders Nora and Adam will be there to pour it. The whiskey is a blend of bourbon from all 50 states, with every cask hand-selected from a distillery Lost Lantern visited and vetted.

Also starting the 24th, Beach Bites returns to Leddy Park Beach and runs each Wednesday through July 29th (skipping July 1st) from 5 to 8 p.m. The rotating list of food vendors is long, and there’s free live music each week from a rotating lineup.

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Another summer series kicks off on Thursday the 25th, with Summer Nights at Shelburne Museum from 5 to 7:30 p.m. There’s live music from The Tenderbellies, food trucks, lawn games, and access to the museum buildings. All ages, all welcome.

Happy Father’s Day, and we’ll see you next week at Hula!