Mountain View Vineyard’s New Winery Groundbreaking Celebration
Pop the cork and pour some bubbly! On September 1st, we celebrated the official groundbreaking ceremony for our new winery building! Wahooo!
The Groundbreaking Team
Look at that awesome crowd in the photo above! From left to right you see Lisa Hutchins (ESSA Bank & Trust VP/Commercial Lending), Gary Olson (President/CEO ESSA Bank & Trust), Carl Wilgus (CEO Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau), Bob Phillips (CEO Greater Pocono Chamber of Commerce), Mario Scavello (State Senator), Linda Rice and Randy Rice (That’s us!), Chuck Leonard (CEO Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation), David Parker (State Representative), Rosemary Brown (State Representative), David Crosby Jr. (Senior Pastor Community Church), John Christy (Monroe County Commissioner), Lawrence Buzzard (Hamilton Township Supervisor).
A Special Date
September 1st wasn’t just our groundbreaking ceremony date. It was also our 27th wedding anniversary! Plus, it was the 7th anniversary of our winery opening and the 3rd anniversary of our distillery opening!
A Special Toast
Randy made a toast from the Bible to thank God for all the blessings he has given us. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” That’s Ephesians 3:20.
Special Guests
We were happy to have so many friends and family join us. The photo above is us with our pastor, David Crosby Jr. of Community Church.
State Senator Mario Scavello (left) and ESSA Bank & Trust President Gary Olson (right) were there. This project would not have been possible without their support.
That’s Randy’s dad, Bob, with us. It meant the world when he told us he was proud of what we have accomplished here. We love you, Bob!
Our lawyer, Loren was able to join us along with our son, Bobby. He’s the artist behind our goat logo and labels!
News Coverage
Several news crew stopped by. You can check out some of the coverage from WFMZ, WNEP, The Pocono Record, and the Lehigh Valley Business Journal.
We Have a Great Staff
Our staff made sure everything ran smoothly. There are Wendy and Sarah at the check in table.
Wendy also worked the bar table. She made sure no one went thirsty. We love that signature Wendy face!
Refreshments
We had a great lunch with sandwiches, salads, and fruit and cheese platters. Plus, we mixed up a big ol’ batch of our famous harvest apple sangria. That was a big hit! And of course, whats’ a party without cake?
Seriously Fun
We kept with our “seriously fun” winery theme by spraying each other with sparkling wine after the ceremony. It was seriously so much fun!
There will be lots more fun to come in the future. Our new building is scheduled to open next April. We can’t wait to see it finished and invite you all to our grand opening celebration.
Cheers!
Linda & Randy