Sumner’s downtown merchants will celebrate love and the season on Saturday during the Sweetheart Wine Walk.

The event will feature a variety of wines and some fun love song-themed questions, said Dale Loseth, interim project manager for the Sumner Downtown Association.

This time, three stores will serve water and coffee.

“It is an easy, casual way to get together and spend some time together,” Loseth said.

Although the walk has a “sweetheart” theme, it is a great event for anyone who wants to spend time together, from couples to friends, he said.

Unlike many wine tastings, Sumner’s wine walks are not directed or chaperoned, Loseth said. Patrons can wander freely, attend the stores they wish and not be hustled from station to station.

“You go to the ones you feel like going to,” he said.

Each store will feature a selection of wines and a question, which will be posted on a display card. The question will focus on a love song and ask about the writer, singer or perhaps a word in the song, Loseth said.

People are invited to answer the questions on their passports, which will be given at the beginning of the walk, and turn in the passports at the end. Passports with all-correct answers will be placed in a drawing for a gift basket.

“Stroll the streets of downtown Sumner, stopping for wine tastes and finding the answers to questions about love songs,” said Louann Spencer, owner of Folkart Gatherings.

There will be 10 downtown stores serving wine and an additional eight stations in The Attic, making a total of 18 places to sample wine with 36 tasting options, Spencer said.

“The Attic will be featuring three high-end wines, yummy chocolate dessert wine and many other choices from Washington, Oregon, South Africa and even Australia,” Spencer added.

Loseth imagines that many walkers will return to the stores they visited in the coming weeks.

“After a night of fun, they are sure to return to historic downtown Sumner for a day of shopping, remembering all the treasures they saw and just have to have,” Spencer agreed.

SWEETHEART WINE WALK

The Sweetheart Wine Walk will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday in downtown Sumner. Tickets are $20 for six tastings and $1 for each additional tasting. They are available online through today at www. sumnerdowntown.com. Tickets also will be available starting at 3 p.m. Saturday at the registration area in the Bank of America parking lot. All participants must be 21 or older at the time of registration.

Meredith Lawrence is a freelance reporter for The Herald.