An estimated 1500 area residents braved chilly temperatures to sample local wines, food, and entertainment at the 4th annual Great Northwest Winefest in Mound City Saturday. Festival-goers lined up to pay $20 per person to sample wines from nine Missouri vineyards. Eight of the wineries are located in northwest Missouri.

Winefest coordinator Marilyn Alldredge says she never dreamed the crowd would be that large. She says some wineries ran out of some of their varieties and two of the food booths also ran out. But she says everyone was excited and pleased without the turnout and the enthusiasm of the crowd.

The Winefest is the largest single fundraiser of the year for Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation, which helps entrepreneurs start and grow businesses in Andrew, Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway, and Worth counties.