Old Town Cellar hosts festival with wine, music

The Desert Sun • May 2, 2010

Bands from across the country helped to kick off the inaugural Cellar Fest — with the help of a little sunshine and wine.

The 10-hour festival featured 10 bands, discounted wines and prize raffles at Old Town Cellar, 78-015 Main St., in La Quinta.

The owner expected to welcome more than 250 customers, who mingled inside and out on the patio with glasses of wine.

Bands from across Southern California and even Colorado took the small corner stage.

The first-ever Cellar Fest was a way to liven up Main Street as business begins to quiet down for the summer, owner Dustin Nichols said.

He hopes to make it an annual event and someday expand it into the streets of Old Town La Quinta.

"We just thought it would be fun to take some of the bands we have throughout the year and have a fun festival," Nichols said.

Residents called it a celebration of Main Street in La Quinta, which Los Angeles artist Tyler Lane from the Tyler Lane Band dubbed "a hidden paradise."

It added energy and youth to the already eventful downtown area, said Jane Henderson, 63, a part-time La Quinta resident.

"Old Town La Quinta is really important as a resident, because it's charming and has so many things to offer," she said. "And every Friday when we come down, this is the first place we come to."

Charlie Rodi, a 36-year-old La Quinta resident and regular at the wine cellar, mingled with friends.

"It's been awesome. We need this stuff here in the desert. It brings life and fun," he said.

Most residents who headed to the festival were regular customers or performers, including Wendy Piatt, a singer-songwriter from Hollywood.

She took the stage to sing her original music, a combination of jazz, soul and soft rock.

"The vibe is cool, and the people are fantastic," Piatt said. "I love this place so much."

Kate McGinty is a reporter for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at (760) 778-6451 or at kate.mcginty@thedesertsun.com.