Uncork Summer Festival Returns June 23

Door County’s only outdoor “foodie” festival celebrates its fifth running this year. Scheduled for June 23, Uncork Summer once again takes place on the grounds of Wickman House in Ellison Bay. 

Mickie Rasch, Door County North’s community coordinator, said the event’s hours have been tweaked a bit this year to reflect the realities of the changing hospitality industry.

“Door County has turned into such a major dining destination over recent years,” said Rasch, “with food becoming more and more of a reason to visit, that we needed to make it easier for our food vendors to return to their busy restaurants for Saturday evening food service.”

Food booth hours, where vendors will serve small plate dishes, are 11 am to 2 pm. The Wickman House bar tent will be open from 11 am – 4 pm, and Erin Krebs and her band will play during the same hours.

There is a minimal $10 admission fee per person to attend Uncork Summer. Tickets for food, wine, beer and cocktails are available on-site for $5 each; this is the event’s uniform price for individual small plate dishes and drinks, whether wines, ciders, beer or cocktails.

This year’s event features 20 food vendor and sponsor booths, plus wines, local ciders, craft beers and unique hand-crafted cocktails in the Wickman House bar tent. 

Uncork Summer debuted in 2014 as a means to showcase the county’s top chefs in a single setting. Rasch said Uncork Summer has expanded visitor awareness of the far northern Door County region; the event drew 2,000 attendees last year.

Two local nonprofits are participating in Uncork Summer this year by extending their hours. Ellison Bay Arts (facebook.com/EllisonBayArts) is extending gallery hours to 7 pm and the Liberty Grove Historical Society opens for the season June 23 with extended museum hours until 5 pm.

Expansive free parking for Uncork Summer is located at the Liberty Grove Historical Society property at the top of the Ellison Bay hill at the south end of the village. Free trolleys will ferry visitors from the parking areas to the Wickman House grounds.

Uncork Summer takes places at Wickman House, 11976 Mink River Road, Ellison Bay. Food booths will be open 11 am – 2 pm and the hours for drinks and music are 11 am–4 pm. For more information, call 920.854.4450 or visit uncorksummer.com.