Chankaska Creek Winery hosts annual ‘Toast to Women’

KASOTA, Minn. (KEYC) -Saturday was the first weekend of the annual deer hunting season, and opening weekend is the most popular hunting time of the year.

With so many hunters hitting the fields however, that leaves many non-hunters at home.

For over twelve years, Chankaska Creek Ranch, Winery and Distillery have made a tradition of inviting non-hunters to join together in company and kick off the holiday season early.

“Halloween just ended and we’re having all these different, we’re getting amped up for Christmas and for Thanksgiving and everything, so we’re getting that holiday spirit,” said Chankaska’s Cynthia Strauser. “This is kind of the first kickoff event of starting the holiday spirit and yeah, guys are, usually people who are hunting are out hunting this morning so we usually are trying to get something for someone else to do, stuff for them to do.”

The winery filled their event center with vendors selling goods from crafts and clothes to holiday decorations.

While the event ran throughout the day, the winery still ran its usual operations, now catering to a much larger audience than they normally see on a normal weekend.

The winery said that the rush is a welcome sight however, as the event was placed on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was different a couple years ago, just with COVID, so we’ve actually been trying to get back to normal,” explained Strauser. “And this year finally feels like we’re back to normal, being able to have people here and enjoying themselves and without restrictions of worrying about anything,”

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