Moon Dancer Winery again forced to close under court order

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Moon Dancer Winery will close following a July 8 ruling by the York County Court that denied the winery‘s request to remain open while in litigation. 

Last month, the court allowed the winery to reopen while it reconsidered a previous ruling that forced Moon Dancer to close. After reconsidering the case, the court this week reinstated the closure order, giving Moon Dancer 10 days to close. The final day of operation for Moon Dancer Winery will be Thursday, July 18. 

The forced closure is the latest chapter in a long-running legal dispute regarding the winery’s farm property on Klines Run Road, overlooking the Susquehanna River near Wrightsville, York County. The lawsuit, brought by a couple who own the neighboring property, centers on the use of Miller’s agriculturally zoned property as a vineyard and winery. 

“Words cannot express our deep disappointment and sadness,” said Moon Dancer Owner Jim Miller. “The past six weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions. We went from celebrating our 20th anniversary on Memorial Day weekend to learning of a court order to close, and then getting a reprieve that turned out to be short-lived. Now, we have just a little over a week to close our doors. We don’t know when, or if, we will ever reopen. We are beyond devastated.” 

The court’s decision this week effectively means the winery can no longer operate on the property. Miller said he plans to appeal and will explore all possible avenues to allow the winery to reopen and continue operations during the appeal. 

“We have built something special here and we aren’t ready to give it up,” Miller said. “We have thousands of supporters who have stood by us and helped to make Moon Dancer a beloved place where countless precious memories have been made and shared over the years. We are so deeply grateful to all of our friends and supporters, and we cherish each and every one of them. They are the very heart and soul of Moon Dancer.” 

Some of those supporters have circulated an online petition to stop the closure of Moon Dancer. That petition has garnered more than 7,000 signatures and continues to grow. 

Moon Dancer Winery will remain open for business through July 18. All events scheduled at the winery after that date will be canceled. This includes Moon Dancer’s annual Reggae Festival scheduled for July 27 and 28. Customers who have purchased event tickets for canceled events will receive full refunds.