Shepherdstown Day Care Center invites the community to celebrate the Fall Wine Harvest! The fund-raising event, which will benefit the center’s ongoing programs and initiatives, will be held this Sunday, Oct. 11, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the home of David and Sue Kemnitzer, 204 East German Street in Shepherdstown. The historic red-brick structure, once known as Wynkoop’s Tavern, built in 1791, is a Shepherdstown landmark.

“This is a chance for our friends to relax with good wine, delicious hors d’ oeuvres and great company in a beautiful setting,” said SDC board vice president Dale Walter, co-chair of the event with board member Nancy Strine. Board members Cindy Morrow and Jan Hafer also serve on the committee.

Guests will be offered aperitifs of champagne or rose wine to compliment hors d’oeuvres from Shepherdstown restaurants. The event will spotlight nearby wineries. Representatives from Big Cork Vineyards, in Rohrersville, Maryland, and Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg, Virginia will offer tastings of their premier vintages, and Alex Elman, “The Blind Wine Chick”, from Frederick, Maryland, will offer olive oil tastings in addition to her organic wines. Bottles from the three vendors will be available to purchase or order.

A 50-bottle “Cork Pull”, which offers guests chances to win bottles of wine ranging from “weeknight wines” to prized vintages, is a repeat of the popular feature first initiated at SDC’s 2015 Wine Auction. Corks are $20 each.

A special guest, Dana Mitchell, Shepherdstown Mysteries Walk creator and guide, will be on hand in period dress, ready to entertain guests with stories of Wynkoop’s Tavern and life in Shepherdstown 200 years ago.

Cost for the event is $20 person, payable at the door. For reservations and information, call the center at 304 876-6923 or shepdaycare@citlink.net. Those unable to attend should mark their calendars for SDC’s upcoming 9tth Annual Wine Auction, March 19, 2016, at the Bavarian Inn.

Shepherdstown Day Care has been providing affordable, nurturing child care and enriching educational experiences to the children of the working poor in WV’s Eastern Panhandle since 1973. A 501 c 3 organization, it offers programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, before and after school care, and the WV state-mandated pre-K class. It is the only daycare center in the Eastern Panhandle with a sliding scale tuition fee based on family income. For more information about Shepherdstown Day Care and its programs, please contact Melissa Holman, Director, at 304 876-6923.