The staff of the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce would like to express our sincere thank you to everyone who attended or assisted us in making the 20^th anniversary Wine Festival on Sept. 27 and 28 such a great event.

An enthusiastic, well-coordinated group of more than 160 volunteers worked tirelessly behind the scenes to put together this superb two-day event. Our SML Chamber members and their families, community volunteers and others gave their talents and time to make this festival an extraordinary weekend.

In particular, we would like to thank Trey Park as our gracious host as well as the LakeWatch Plantation staff who provided the expansive grounds for the event and helped us in so many ways.

A debt of gratitude goes to the Franklin Country Sheriff's Office, the Scruggs Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Rescue Squad, Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control, Sunny-FM Radio's Larry Dowdy and Steve Cross, Moneta Farm Supply, Willow Tree Nursery, Tidy Services, Food Lion, Kroger, Bojangle's and Subway for all they did to ensure a great experience for all.

We also want to extend a big thank you to the many members of the print and electronic media for their genuine interest in our story and the immeasurable help they provided in getting the word out to the public about our annual wine fest.

Paul Miller, our event chairman four years running, provided great leadership to his team of 27 energetic Wine Fest committee chair people who, in turn, gathered additional crew members and supplies to make our fall celebration collectively come together.

The Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce staff also extends a sincere thank you to each of our 2008 sponsor businesses. We would also like to extend a note of thanks to the ticket outlets for their help with advance sales.

We're gratified that for two decades, this rite of the fall season has been instrumental in entertaining locals, attracting visitors and overall providing an economic lift at Smith Mountain Lake.

We look forward to hosting our special 21st Anniversary Wine Festival next year on Sept. 26 and 27. I hope everyone in the community and beyond will join us.