Best Food Festivals?

[RaineS]

Road trip season is almost here. DH and I are major food festival junkies, so what and where are your favorites? We love the Martinsburg WVA apple festival, the Annapolis Seafood Festival....

TIA,

Raine

[Holly Moore]

Any state fair and especially the Iowa State Fair.

And especially, especially the Bloomsburg State Fair, late summer in Bloomsburg PA

Also Mid-June the Blueridge BBQ Festival in Tyron in Western N.C. and the St. Mary's Oyster Festival in Leonardtown on the southern tip of Maryland.

Fairs

[Cynthia G]

Both in early autumn/late summer:

Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta

Hatch Chile Festival

[Mayhaw Man]

Yeah, Yeah Whatever.

250 different things and not a hot dog, hamburger, or funnel cake in the place!

Plenty of good seating still available.

[FistFullaRoux]

Hell, pick a weekend between now and December, and there will be a festival in south Louisiana. Admittedly, the food isn't as varied as Jazzfest, but you won't go hungry.

A not quite complete Louisiana festivals list

[Cynthia G]

250 different things and not a hot dog, hamburger, or funnel cake in the place!

Plenty of good seating still available.

Well, Brooks, all I need is a free plane ticket, free lodging, free event tickets, some donated spending money, and I am sooooo there!

Seriously, this has definitely been on my list of Things to Do Before I Die for many years now. My only question is, have you learned to bi- or tri-locate? How in the world do you pick who to see and who to miss??

[Mayhaw Man]

You can't see or do everything and you especially can't let it stress you out. As far as music goes I have a pretty extensive "life list" going, so one of my main criteria is to go see people who might be gone before I get another chance. Charles Brown, Champion Jack Dupree, Clifton Cheniere, Lee Dorsey, etc. all appeared at the Fairgrounds the year before they died (Clifton was playing that big ass accordian while balancing himself in a walker, it was just wonderful to see a man doing something he loved that much when he felt so bad).

After that sometimes I just wander until something grabs my ear. This is not a bad way to do it. For example, when looking at the schedule one might never guess that the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble would be completely knocked out, but they were! (how can you go wrong playing bop classics on 100 variously sized and tuned tubas? It was an amazing thing). I never would have heard Trout Fishing in America except for accidentally walking by the kids tent one year and hearing their hysterically funny and great for kids act. Kanda the Bongo Man (African guy from Africa by way of Paris) in a very stylish set of outfits with limber (literally, these women were made of rubber) and attractive and talented back up singers and dancers playing a fantastic to hear and fun to watch show. How about the time that I walked through the grandstands and witnessed Allen Toussaint and Champion Jack playing 4 handed piano? Wow! Or maybe seeing Fred LeBlanc of Cowboy Mouth (a friend, although sometimes I am loathe to admit it, but he probably is too) climbing to the top of the speaker scaffolding with security climbing up behind him while he was singing some song or another. Maybe the time that James Brown wouldn't come out of his bus (crack does that to you ) and his announcer just kept saying "James Brown, James Brown!" over and over again.

Or the time that a storm passed over the Fairgrounds and most of the stages were closed, except for a game and humorous Randy Newman playing "Louisiana" in the pouring rain (if you don't know the first of the lyrics you won't get the importance of the moment). That was one of those moments when the world is just right.

I could go on for hours. Figure 7 hours a day at an average of about 6.5 days per year since 83. That's alot of stories. One of the guys that I go with (a writer for the Tuscaloosa News) hasn't missed a DAY since 1979. Lots of stories (including a sadly hysterical one about his 2nd ex wife telling him that he had to decide, right now, between her and the Jazz Fest-guess which one he chose? She really wasn't very much fun, anyway ).

Save your money. Change your life.

Happy people living free are a good thing. It should happen more often in this world.

[Cynthia G]

I guess I better find some work that is more of a good-paying gig than a good-spiritual gig.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Closest to me here in Atlanta, and closest in time as well, is the annual Vidalia Onion Festival .... held in May .... check out their schedule of events if you are somewhere in the general vicinity ...

http://www.vidaliaonionfestival.com/

Edited April 18, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[Alex]

I recommend the National Cherry Festival, in Traverse City, Michigan. The northwest Lower Peninsula is beautiful, Lake Michigan and its dunes are spectacular, and the area is home to some excellent restaurants, including Tapawingo, one of the best in the Midwest.

[elion_84]

One word: Spamarama

[bourdain]

The Testicle Festival

[Gifted Gourmet]

The Testicle Festival

and then on to the Cherry Festival? Or have I gotten the order backward here??

and might you be more specific about which is better?

Bottlescrew Bill's Testicle Festival - Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Byron, Ill. Annual Turkey Testicle Festival

Fromberg Festival of Testicles (near Billings)

Mission Mountain Testicle Festival: First Saturday in June at Branding Iron in Charlo (50 miles from Missoula).

Nut and Gut Feed, 90 miles from Havre Rock

Creek Lodge Testicle Festival, just east of Missoula, Montana Ryegate Testicle Festival. Second Saturday in June in Ryegate (60 miles from Billings).

Vinita, Oklahoma Calf Fry Festival - first Saturday after Labor Day, featuring "prairie oysters" and fries.

York Bar's Go Nuts Testicle Festival. Third Friday in May. In York, about 20 miles from Helena.

Or which one would one go nuts over? Is one Testicle Festival better than the rest?

Edited April 18, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[bourdain]

It's real. Chuck Palahniuk did a funny--and frightening piece on it.

[Gifted Gourmet]

It's real. Chuck Palahniuk did a funny--and frightening piece on it.

That is what I discovered upon Googling it ... and was shocked to find it entirely legit ... thought it was a Bourdainesque conception (poor choice of vocab .. apologies all around!)

[Gifted Gourmet]

It's real. Chuck Palahniuk did a funny--and frightening piece on it.

Might this be the one to which you are referring?

The Rock Creek Testicle Festival.

Clinton Montana. Me and I5,000 bikers .......

[PamelaF]

California has so many festivals you could go to a different one every weekend from April til October.

Some of the ones that I hope to get to are:

Stockton Asparagus festival, April 23-25

Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival, May 14 - 16

Isleton Crawdad Festival, June 18 - 20

And the best one of all:

The Gilroy Garlic Festival, July 23 - 25

I have been to Gilroy the last two years (and also attended a couple of times in the distant past). This is a great event, exceptionally well run, the Gilroy volunteers make the Disney organization look like slackers <g>.

If you go, try to go on the Friday, it is much less crowded than the Sat-Sun. Parking is free and admission is about $10. There is continuous entertainment all day (festival is open from about 10am - 7pm). It is held in a large park. There are some open areas where it can get quite warm, but also some tree-shaded areas for respite. Tents with picnic tables are provided as well. Most of the food stands are run by local community groups, so the money you spend for pasta pesto, garlic bread, sauteed calamari, deep fried artichokes, and all the rest of the garlicky treats, is going to a good cause. Samples of garlic ice cream are free.

I think the best part of last year's festival was when a local-favorite oldies band was performing on the main stage. Even though it was 3pm on a very hot afternoon, once the band started rockin the entire open area in front of the stage was packed and everyone (all ages) was dancing and having a great time.

I would love to meet up with any other NorCal eGulleteers for any of these events and I will post on the California board right before the event.

Pam

P.S. If you can wait until October there is the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival.

[KattyKid]

http://www.tasteofbuffalo.com/restaurants.asp - Nuff Said !!!!

[beans]

Kodiak Crabfest

[Gifted Gourmet]

Kodiak Crabfest

Too bad it is in Alaska

would have loved to try it!!

[carp]

I know that PamelaF already mentioned it, but the Gilroy Garlic Festival is worth mentioning again.

Around harvest time, the entire town of Gilroy is shrouded in pungent garlic smells. Just driving along highway 101 around festival time conjures up all sorts of fond garlic memories.

Around California, and probably elsewhere as well, Gilroy is known for the Garlic Festival once a year and a stripmall with several "factory outlets" the rest of the year. Once, when the town was steeped in garlic, I purchased a shirt at one of the outlets...

Weeks later the shirt still smelled like garlic.

[clothier]

I recommend the National Cherry Festival, in Traverse City, Michigan. The northwest Lower Peninsula is beautiful, Lake Michigan and its dunes are spectacular, and the area is home to some excellent restaurants, including Tapawingo, one of the best in the Midwest.

I second this notion.

Nothing better then fresh cherry pie. Unless it's fresh or dried cherry anything else.

[Mabelline]

There's a Peach Festival in Weatherford, Texas in June. It's a good time.

I remarked on another thread about all our testicle festivals in Montana. Either we've got TOO much time on our hands, or all these cowboys are nuts!!!

If you can get to any Native American Pow-Wows, Rendevous, or Rodeos, you can have a real good experience.

[Mabelline]

The Testicle Festival

and then on to the Cherry Festival? Or have I gotten the order backward here??

Duh, I dummied up there, but it seems as if you have the Testicle Festival first, there should be NO obstacle to the Cherry Festival proceeding

[Randi]

The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties, NY

It's not Gilroy, but it's a blast! I've been there several times. In fact, I have a mini clove of garlic (no, not a real one) hanging from my rearview mirror in my car. (I bought it there.)