The Grapeful Dead take the 25th Anniversary Grape Stomp Competition! Finals Video & Over 100 Photos!

Murphys, CA…The 25th Annual Calaveras Grape Stomp was another special day in Murphys Community Park. Previous Champions the Grapeful Dead came back stronger than ever after an injury kept them out of last year’s stomp competition. Another great story was the Local father and son duo of Matt & Sewell Hatcher who stomped their way into third. For 25 years the Calaveras Grape Stomp has brought thousands of people to historic Downtown Murphys for a day of fun and entertainment the first Saturday in October! The annual community Grape Stomp has grown into the Largest and Oldest Grape Stomp Competition in California! Final Results of the 2018 25h Anniversary Calaveras Grape Stomp — Championship Stomp Grapeful Dead Dale Marcum Jennifer Marcum 20.08, Sushi & Waswabi Craig Wright Tamao Nakahara 19.47. Hatcher Winery Matt Hatcher Sewell Hatcher 17.94. Mucker Truckers Brett Nocentini Christoher Lusardi 17.75.
Dwelley Devastators Arroya Eddie Dwelley 17.2. Flast Nasty Joel Hilton Tony Ramsdell 14.93. SCUMBAGS Klyle Park Brian Royston 14.45. Cluster Buster 2 Brent Hoffman Brooke Lawrence-Howell 14.16. Zin It to Win It Kailyn Finley Matt Puppo 12.51. Country Crushers Rachel Burke Steve Banke 12.46.



During the stomp, teams of two, many with creative names and costumes, compete to collect the most juice out of 25 pounds of grapes in three-minute heats. Teams consist of a “stomper,” who stands in half a wine barrel with the grapes, and a “swabber, or mucker” who stands outside the barrel and reaches in to help flow the juice out of a drain spout.

Teams are encouraged to appear in costume and prizes are awarded based on originality, design and effort. Previous winners include the “Mucker Truckers“, “Grapeful Dead” and the “Cork Fungus Fairies”. The most anticipated heat of the day is the Winemakers Heat where local winemakers come out to compete in a friendly rivalry for most juice stomped and the Presidents Cup. Competitions are highly encouraged between businesses, sponsors, organizations and friends and pre-registration is strongly recommended as stomp competitions sell out well before the event.

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Quality arts and crafts, antiques, handcrafted goods, jewelry, clothing, collectibles and food booths offer wares for sale in addition to Murphys’ multitude of one-of-a-kind specialty shops, restaurants and tasting rooms that line Main Street.

In addition, the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance holds a silent and live auction that includes donations from local and regional supporters such as Bear Valley Ski Resort, Saddlecreek Golf Resort, Murphys Historic Hotel and wine and winemaker event tickets from local wineries. All proceeds from the silent and live auction are distributed back to local community organizations and help fund the CWA scholarship funds.

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