Dauphin County Winery’s summer entertainment lineup includes a mix of old and new
One of the region’s wineries known for its music and concerts is The Vineyard at Hershey in Dauphin County.
The winery grew from an idea between four friends in 2008 to planting vines on a historic 40-acre farm overlooking Route 283 in 2009 on a property that featured stunning views and a scenic natural spring lake.
The winery opened in 2012 and a few years later the owners hired a brewmaster and created an addition to their portfolio that would change the name to The Vineyard & Brewery at Hershey.
It continues to be among the top destination wineries in central Pennsylvania thanks to its Friday night music series from May through September called Decked-Out Live! in addition to their summer shows.
With Decked-Out Live! having started on May 3rd, it seemed like a good time to talk to Lynn Day, resident of The Vineyard at Hershey, to see what the plans are for this summer.
Q, Decked Out Live has started again…anything different this year? Are the artists all from central Pennsylvania or do they come from further away? What is a rolling barbecue?
A, decorated live! Friday nights are now celebrating 12 years! Hard to believe, but many of our season ticket holders have been coming for 12 years. Last summer, we informally interviewed our longtime ticket holders to find out what changes beyond the patio expansion we opened last summer as we continue to invest in the experience. We clearly heard that our regulars loved the local artists and relaxed atmosphere, but would love to see high-energy bands with 4+ pieces every week.
We can’t be more excited about this year’s lineup. We listened – and we have our best lineup yet. For example, this week we welcomed back the first local Beatles tribute band, Crossing Abbey Road. Memorial Day weekend will kick off with local favorites Jellybricks. All summer long, our guests will play Honeypump, Corty Byron Band, Luv Gods, Smooth Like Clyde, Velveeta and more! All of our acts are local names that we all love!
We’re also bringing back the Rolling Grill Food Truck every Friday. This local truck, with Chef Steve, has a menu that changes every week to ensure there are always new things to try. It might serve classic favorites like burgers and pulled pork one week, and lobster rolls and shrimp cocktail the next. Chef Steve has become a reference at our events. Of course, our guests can bring a picnic basket if they prefer to Decked-Out Live! Friday nights.
Doors open every Friday at 5:30pm, with the music starting at 7pm. You can find the detailed schedule as well as other information about the events at this link. Tickets are available online or at the door.
Q, Parmalee’s first visit? Tell me how you were able to bring it in and what excited you about it? Also, I see Marc Roberge is coming back?
While adorned live! has become a staple of our summer programming for 12 years, we’re also celebrating 10 years of national music performances coming to the winery and have some fun programming in store:
- OAR’s Marc Roberge (with special guests): June 15
- Parmalee: June 22
- River 97.3 Birthday Party: August 3
- Merlot Day with Boat House Row: August 17
As you’ve noticed, Marc Roberge, lead singer of multi-platinum alternative rock band OAR, returns for what’s turning into an annual performance on our patio! This friendship with Marc began in 2018 when he brought the full band to Merlot Day.
Since then, he has become a reference in solo performances (with special guests coming from OAR). Unlike OAR’s live show, Marc’s Vineyard patio shows see him delivering stripped-back renditions of OAR fan favorites, along with a carefully curated selection of covers. His appeal remains high on the Vineyard because of his impromptu and warmly candid conversations with audiences, the result is an excellent showcase for Roberge’s deeply personal yet immediately resonant narrative. Fun fact: Marc’s first post-COVID show was on our patio.
The week after Marc arrived on the patio stage, we welcomed country music sensation Parmalee for the first time. Known for his distinctive family harmony, irresistible melodies and surefire radio favorites, including Billboard’s most-played country song of 2021, “Take My Name,” Parmalee has not-so-quietly become one of country’s most undeniable hitmakers. contemporaries of the genre.
The group – made up of brothers Matt Thomas (guitar/lead vocals) and Scott Thomas (drums), along with their cousin Barry Knox (bass) and longtime friend Josh McSwain (guitar) – has accumulated more than 1 billion on-demand streams and three No. 1 hits, including his breakout hit “Carolina,” the Blanco Brown collaboration “Just The Way” and “Take My Name.” Parmalee’s current single “Girl In Mine” is a Top 10 hit and climbing.
And then a hot August arrives on the Vineyard. We’ll kick off on August 3rd when we host for the first time the River 97.3 Birthday Bash featuring several great local artists: Jet Silver, Jellybricks and the Martini Brothers.
Of course, we’ve built a reputation for bold Merlots and even bolder parties to launch new Merlot and that continues this year on August 17th with Boat House Row, a Yacht Rock band, highlighting Merlot Day 2024! Boat House Row is a Yacht Rock experience like no other, featuring the silky soft rock sounds of the late 70s and early 80s.
Information about this summer’s concert series and tickets can be found at this link.
