Sunday’s 13th annual Festival of the Grape in Oliver was more than just a foot stompin’ good time for Barb Levant and a few of her closest friends.

“We’re all over 65 and this is on our bucket list of things we have to do before we pass away,” said Levant, who captained the Grape Nuts entry in the stomping competition. “I haven’t done this before but I have been a cheer leader for another team and I just thought this would be fun so I registered us and told them afterwards.”

How was it?

“Pretty squishy, cold, wet and purple,” she said with a laugh. “Really I like the whole event, just the ambience of all the wine and everybody being happy and it’s a beautiful day.”

In total, eight teams duked it out barefooted in the half barrels of what eventually turned into a slushy, soggy mash of grape remains much to the delight of the hundreds of cheering spectators.

At the end of the day it was the members of the Above the Board entry who raised their glasses skyward in the traditional victory salute.

“When the grapes get flyin’ that’s when the fun begins,” said stomp co-ordinator Ed Dukes dressed in his purple, balloon-studded simulated grape vine costume. “After all that’s why everybody is here, to have fun and that’s the way it should be.”

But for the most part the real reason there were no parking spaces to be found for blocks around Community Park where the nearly 50 wineries continually dispensing their products from the two large tents during the afternoon.

Mix in a delicious helping of almost every type of food type imaginable from Caribbean to Greek, a couple of generous scoops of sunshine and top it off with some lively comedic musical entertainment by the Arrogant Worms and you have the perfect recipe for a successful event.