For a taste of everything garlic and more, bring your lawn chair and plan to spend the day at the Seventh Annual Grindrod Garlic Festival on Saturday, August 21. Enjoy live music, art, crafts and local produce by the Shuswap River.
“We like to feature our local garlic growers each year,” festival coordinator Gabriele Wesle said in a statement issued on Saturday, August 6, “and we are also adding new vendors and events to keep the festival interesting for visitors. We really want the community and the public to participate and enjoy the local garlic culture.”
Celebrations of all things garlicky are held in a number of towns in our general region very year during the late summer and early fall. Other festivaks of the stinking rose are expected in new Denver and, hopefully, in Revelstoke. We’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, here are some of the things you can look forward to at the very family-friendly Grindrod event:
- The ever-popular garlic-eating and garlic-cooking contests.
- New this year garlic-cooking demonstrations and a Q&A with a local chef.
- Meet the birds of prey and their handlers from the Allan Brooks Nature Centre, which is celebrating its Raptor Week. at the Festival! Come learn about the local grassland ecology in the Nature Trailer. Other fun activities for children include rock painting, creating a giant chalkboard drawing, and playing in a pool of grain.
- The People’s Choice Art Contest is back for its second year. Create an original, garlic-inspired work of art in any medium, and bring it to the information booth by 9 am on festival day. Everyone attending the festival will be given a ticket to vote for their favorite. The People’s Choice will feature prominently in next year’s poster and advertising. Last year’s winning painting is by artist Terry Greenhough. (Click here to see Terry’s winning watercolour as it appears on this fear’s festival poster)
- Garlic, Vegetable, Herb and Photography Judging and… Garlic Poetry! Are you convinced your vegetables are the best, your herbs the tastiest, or your garlic is the biggest? Enter them in the garlic, vegetable and herb competition classes. From Most Unusual Shape to Best Braid and Most Varieties Grown, there is a garlic class to fit every size and shape of garlic.
- If the camera is your preferred tool, the photography contest is perfect for you. Photo themes are: Anything Garlic, Life on the Farm and Pets and People.
- Are you a great poet, and want everyone to know it? Write a garlic-inspired poem or song to be shared at the Festival.
- Competition classes are open to everyone. Bring all entries to the information booth before 10 am on festival day.
- Free workshops are also scheduled throughout the day. Make and decorate a garlic braid of your own to take home at the Garlic-Braiding Workshop. Learn how to grow garlic at the Garlic-Growing Workshop. Get your questions about raising egg layers answered at the Small Flock Chicken Workshop.
This year’s Grindrod Garlic Festival is on Sunday, August 21, from 9 am until 4 pm at the Grindrod Park, Highway 97A North of Enderby. Admission is $3 per person. Children under 12 are free. Free parking is available.
For more information, visit the Grindrod Garlic Festival Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Grindrod-Garlic-Festival-382280175121244/?ref=bookmarks
The Third Annual Revelstoke Garlic Festival will be held Sunday,. Seotember 18, sat Track Street growers from 11 am until 5 pm. Anyone craving involvement as a vendor, sponsor, or volunteer should contact info@revelstokelocalfood.com.
