The 37th annual Festival in the Pines will take place in Carson Park on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24-25. The festival is back for another year of food, and fun, including craft booths featuring unique handmade items. Returning this year will be the Festival of Wines in the Pines, an evening concert, an expanded children’s area with child care available, and a back-to-school supply drive for local kids. Festival goers will pay just $10 for a wristband to do the wine tour, which includes four glasses of wine and a Festival in the Pines commemorative glass. The Saturday concerts in the wine lounges will feature local artists such as Justin Arnold, Sage Leary, and Rock Creek Sound Dogs, and you can find Ben Stillwater, Mary Weathers, and Transistor Radio on the main stage from 10am-6pm. Parents can drop off their children in the expanded kids play area and subscribe to a babysitting service while they shop and enjoy all that the festival has to offer. Festival in the Pines has a tradition of giving to the community and is expanding on that this year. The festival will continue to support Wisconsin Indian Head Country, an organization which annually organizes and hosts the Governor’s Fishing Opener and an Annual Fun Day Bus Trip to promote tourism. Festival in the Pines will host many service clubs and non-profit organizations at the event. The “Stuff the Bus” supply drive will return this year to benefit local students. The Stuff the Bus drive was inspired by Eau Claire Transit, which identified the need of some local students for proper back-to-school items including backpacks, pens, and paper, Becht said. To respond to this need, Festival in the Pines, Eau Claire Transit, Midwest Family Broadcasting and the Boys & Girls Club are collaborating to literally fill a bus with the much-needed supplies. 

Festival in the Pines • Sat. Aug 24 from 9am-6pm, Sun. Aug 25 from 9am-4pm • $5 each day, $4 for Seniors 62 and over, Kids 11 and under FREE • All ages • festivalinthepines.com • festivalinthepines@gmail.com