(Miramar Beach, Fla.) – The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association is proud to highlight nationally renowned songwriters at the South Walton Beaches Wine and Food Festival. As a founding partner, FRLA is thrilled to participate in the fourth annual charity event scheduled for Thursday, April 28 through Sunday, May 1 in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin. During the four days of lively tastings, seminars, winemaker dinners and musical performances, the festival will showcase more than 800 wines. The FRLA will sponsor the songwriters in conjunction with BMI, a leader in music rights management, as part of its Great Florida Events program which is designed to boost local tourism across the state.
“A combination of fantastic tunes and tastes, this must-attend event showcases Florida hospitality at its finest,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “This year’s set list of songwriters features industry all-stars and we are proud to partner with them to reel in more visitors who can help us raise money for children in Northwest Florida.”
Last year, 4,000 wine and food lovers participated in the event, and contributed to raising more than $2.3 million for the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF) at an auction held during the festival. Proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to DCWAF, which has affected the lives of over 60,000 youth, including those afflicted by health issues and abuse.
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 Jake Owen, George Strait, Luke Bryan, Miley Cyrus, Tim McGraw and many others. The featured songwriters include nationally renowned BMI artists: Dylan Altman, Marshall Altman, Aaron Barker, Brent Cobb, Jon Mabe, Kendell Marvel, Billy Montana and Matt Warren. The songs written by the songwriters include “Baby Blue” made popular by George Strait, “The Climb” written for Miley Cyrus and Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory” 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 $82 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy and more than 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 27-29, 2016 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 present fine wine and food pairings from the world’s most famous appellations. The Savor South Walton Culinary Village offers a sumptuous array of foods to taste, wines to pair, as well as wine and food tasting seminars and live entertainment. 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.