Media Contact:
Elizabeth Ray
FRLA Press Secretary
850.224.2250 x255
[email protected]
(Miramar Beach, FL) – The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is proud to showcase nationally renowned songwriters at the South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival. As a founding partner, FRLA is thrilled to participate in the second annual charity event that will be held Thursday, April 24th through Sunday, April 27th in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin. As top winemakers showcase more than 800 flavors at the event, the FRLA will feature songwriters as a continuation of the Endless Summer Music Series in conjunction with BMI, a leader in music rights management.
“These songwriters create a wonderful atmosphere at a picturesque location and give festival-goers an opportunity to support children in need,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “We are glad to continue our participation in this event, which is the perfect venue for thousands of visitors to enjoy a glass of wine, relax on Northwest Florida beaches, and support a community that helps make our state a wonderful place to live, work and play.”
Last year, the event donated $30,000 to Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF) to help 14 children’s charities in Northwest Florida. Additionally, the Destin Charity Wine Auction was held during the wine and food festival and raised nearly $1.4 million for the charitable organizations to address hunger, homelessness, abuse, and physical and mental disorders for thousands of children in Northwest Florida communities. Proceeds from this year’s event will also be donated to DCWAF.
Throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, the songwriters will perform and tell stories about their biggest hits written for the stars of the music business, including Tim McGraw, George Strait, Jason Aldean and many others. The featured songwriters include nationally renowned BMI artists: Dylan Altman, Sherrié Austin, Aaron Barker, Steve Bogard, Jon Mabe, Kendell Marvel, Bridgette Tatum, and Will Rambeaux. The hit songs written by the songwriters include “She’s Country,” a #1 hit performed by Jason Aldean, “Baby Blue” made popular by George Strait, “The Climb” written for Miley Cyrus and Faith Hill’s “Wild One” to name a few.
Please go to www.sowalwine.com for the festival schedule and a full list of songwriters who will be performing.
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About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $76.1 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy, $4.6 billion in sales tax revenue, and nearly 1.1 million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, September 7-9, 2014 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube.
About South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival
South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival is an annual charity event held the last weekend of April. The festival features a stunning showcase of the best wines the world has to offer. Celebrity wine producers and chefs will present fine wine and food pairings from the world’s most famous appellations. The Culinary Village presents the Savor South Walton Culinary Pavilion showcasing a sumptuous array of foods to taste, wines to pair, as well as wine and food seminars and cooking demonstrations. The event is a major fundraiser for Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, which benefits children in need in Northwest Florida. For more information, including a list of attending winemakers and to purchase tickets, visit www.SoWalWine.com.