Carlton Crush returns after hiatus

News-Register file photo##During the Carlton Crush grape-stomping competition in 2021, Grape Gatsby team members react as grape juice goes flying. On stage are Shelly Charles and Maggie Hill, and helping on the ground are Amy Rolle and Mary Grundon.

The popular Carlton Crush harvest festival will return to Ladd Park from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, following a two-year hiatus.

The festival involves a grape stomping competition for teams of adults, with a separate contest for children. Teams of four bare-footed participants step into large barrels and stomp as music plays, attempting to crush the grapes to produce the most juice.

In addition to the crushing, the afternoon will include vendor booths selling food, crafts and wine-related items, including Crush merchandise.

Admission is free. Adults can purchase alcoholic beverages; they can buy a Crush Cup, a stemless, eco-friendly wine glass, which includes a tasting ticket for wine, spirits and cider.

Park & Main, The Blind Pig and other vendors will sell food at the festival site.

Other Carlton restaurants and shops will offer specials Saturday throughout town, too.

There are limited spots available to register a team, which can be done at www.carltonbusinessassociation.com/carlton-crush. Sign-ups for the kids’ competition (ages 6-12) will be at noon, with the stomping starting soon after. The adult Stomp will be from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

The Carlton Business Association organizes Crush. CBA started the festival in 2012 to celebrate the burgeoning local wine industry.

Crush was canceled in 2023 to allow local businesses to focus on a seven-day Cycle Oregon event. This year, CBA members and local winery owners decided to reignite the festival.

Cam Bowers of Ghost Hill Cellars said he’s long been a fan of Crush and other harvest celebrations. He and his wife, Bernadette Bowers, live in Carlton and are fans of the town, as well. “It’s one of the coolest places,” he said.

Although September is “insanely busy” for area wineries, it’s also a great time to celebrate the wine industry, he said. “Celebrating the harvest is an age-old tradition.”

He volunteered to supply grapes for the crushing contest, and also served on the organizing committee with Tiffany Emory, a Carlton bed and breakfast owner, and Dustin Wyant of Park & Main and Ikigai.

Bowers said he’s eager for Saturday’s Carlton Crush Festival, in addition to the fall season in general.

“This will be a great year,” he said, noting Ghost Hill started picking its 2025 crop on Sept. 7. “The harvest looks great; the weather has been great; we’re super-excited.”