When people hear the words grape stomp, many are reminded of the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy stomped on grapes.

For Sacramento State student Corey Koshman, a journalism major, these words take on a more personal meaning.

On Saturday, Sept. 15 Koshman participated in the grape stomp competition at the Lodi Grape Festival and Harvest Fair.

There were more than 20 teams competing, many of them from Tokay and Lodi High School?s Future Farmers of America group.

Four barrels filled with grapes were set up for each team.

“I was nervous at first. The barrels looked so small and I wondered how Noel Harris and I were going to fit in there,” Koshman said.

Each team had a minute and a half to stomp juice out of the grapes.

Diane Tanaka, a resident of Sacramento came to watch the grape stomp.

“‘It didn’t look easy. They were really exhausted. They were very intense and concentrated,” Tanaka said.

A container was placed under each bucket to measure the amount of juice that was stomped out.

Koshman and her partner, Harris, stomped out a little over two inches. “We were third overall, or so we heard,” Koshman said.

Koshman and Harris were covered from head to toe in grape juice.

“I was proud that I was covered in grape juice. When I took my shoes off they were full of grape seeds and grape skins,” Koshman said.

Harris threw away his shoes after the grape stomp.

The grape stomp is only one of the many events at the festival.

Live entertainment, craft booths, food, art shows and a carnival are some of the other attractions at the Festival.

Shari Tanaka, another Sacramento resident, said it was like a mini State Fair. She was impressed by the scope of the fair; the exhibits, the rides and the food.

“To me it was better because it was less crowded. It was more like a community affair,” she said.

The Lodi Grape Festival and Harvest Fair is an annual event. It runs the third Thursday through Sunday in September.