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Organizers of the Barksdale Cancer Foundation’s “Miss Janie’s Sit & Sip” wine festival are gearing up, prepping for the Saturday, Oct. 2, event, to be held at the Gil-Har House at 6447 Patrick Henry Hwy., Phenix.

Currently, two wineries have committed to the event, both of whom have proven to be extremely popular in the past. Bright Meadows Winery of Nathalie and Country Way Winery of Chase City will provide a variety of wines to festival goers. Beer will also be available at the event.

An array of food offerings will be provided by the Charlotte County Lions Club throughout the day as well.

“We were heartbroken when our board was forced to cancel the 2020 event,” said Wendy Lankford, President of the organization. “So, we are preparing for a nice crowd this year and have lined up a great variety of vendors to offer something for everyone.”

On deck to provide the day’s entertainment is the very popular Tobacco Road Band from neighboring Mecklenburg County.

Their music blends old soul and blues, country and Southern Rock ‘n’ Roll to give audiences the rhythms and lyrics sure to please.

The band, which lives by its motto of “Music that will make you move,” consists of four Southside Virginia musicians, “mining the music of our generation.” Led by Ronnie Newcomb, who has been entertaining since he was 14, the group has years of musical collaboration. Bill Baker, guitarist, has been playing with Newcomb for 30 years.

Rounding out the band is Barry Hughes on drums, who has been performing with local bands since the early 1970s and the newest addition, Mayor Kevin Allgood of Clarksville. Yes, he is the actual mayor of Clarksville and has been give the show name “Mayor” by his fellow band members. He does vocals and plays guitar and “brings a whole new genre with acoustic guitar and a great voice,” according to Newcomb.

“I don’t know which is more excited about the festival, Tobacco Road or Barksdale,” said Lankford. “We have both been waiting for this event for over a year!”

Festival goers will also have an array of vendors to entice them to their booths, offering such brands as Avon, “31” accessories, Premiere Jewelry, Color Street Nails, as well as live flowers and various craft items. Other popular vendors will include Mill Road Creations, Simply Maci Bee, LA Jewelry, YummyTown Handmade Treats, Get Salty, Crafts ‘n’ Things, Katherine with a Touch, Junebug’s Creations and MiPa’s Balloons.

There are a few vendor spots remaining. Anyone who wishes to participate can call (434) 470-1538 or may request a vendor application by emailing barksdalecancerfoundation@gmail.com.

Tasting and non-tasting tickets for the festival may be purchased online through Paypal or credit card by visiting the website, www.barksdalecancerfou.wixsite.com/mysite.

Barksdale is a grassroots organization founded in 1999 solely for the purpose of helping cancer patients in Charlotte County. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit manned solely by volunteers, with no ties to any other cancer organizations. To date, they have given out 333 grants totaling more than $224,000.

If you know of someone in the county who needs help in their battle against cancer, call Lankford at (434) 470-1538. Tax-deductible donations may be mailed to BCF, P.O. Box 225, Charlotte Court House, VA 23923.