festivals

Britt
Yes as a kid (1950's) The Orange Show was a real big deal ! When I returned to SoCal in 1986 We attended two or three years and it really seemed to have lost a lot of it's luster! The last one I attended was in 90 or 91 and it was pretty much a flea market/swap meet with a lot of gang colors visible everywhere.

The Riverside County Fair/Date Festival in Indio has held up as a great activity. Timed in February it makes a great day trip for most SoCal folks to the mild Palm Springs climate. I have seen some video of the Srawberry Festival held in the same location but at a different time. It looks like a real good time as well.

Well, we just returned from several hours at our local "LANESVILLE HERITAGE DAYS" Festival. Hot and Humid, but lots of Sun so as long as you kept downing the water things were fine. I did not carry my camera as it was a bit rough (the grounds) so I used my walking stick to help keep me vertical.

We each enjoyed a Pork Chop Sandwich and shared some Onion Rings and a Fish Fry Sandwich (Fried Cod on Rye Bread) $3 per item for a good lunch investment of $12 total. We watched the Apple Butter making demo. Thank God for crock-pots, I can't imagine having the patience to tend that hanging kettle of Apples for over 24 hours over a wood fire!!

Then we enjoyed the parade of Steam equipment. The tractors with a two man crew, looking like locomotives in the field huffed and puffed around the field. There were about 25 of them running and an equal number on static display. Some ran other equipment using long power transfer belts from PTO's. At One O'Clock they collectivly sounded their Whistles/Horns and really got everyone's attention!

Lots of craft and food booths and a very nice concert in the park by a local Dulcimer Society. It was mellow enough , even in the hub-bub of the firground to lull me to a nap after our fine lunch !!

Sorry I did not get photos. They would have been dandy. But hauling my camera around was not part of the plan today. Tonight our ears will pick up the noise of the MAJOR Tractor Pull...even though we live 3 miles from the fairground!

They anticipated about 25,000 visitors today (to our village of 900). From the look of the long lines of Bikes parked at Hogs Tavern on Main St, I would guess a large percentage came by Motorcycle!

Mr. Al , here is the site for our National Peanut Festival 2008 here in Dothan , Alabama .

http://www.nationalpeanutfestival.com

Al- I NEED your crockpot apple butter recipe.One of my favorite items when visiting my Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill in Indiana...Wonderful memories.

AL

Got a report from the beer garden there at Heritage Days, They went through 38 Half Barrels last night, and were expecting to top their record of 68 half barrels for the weekend. Also sold 120# of brats yesterday.

Today is the big day for them (all day sales of beer and brats). Wish I was there, but things here needed me more.

I would savor that festival, too,Miss iqdiva!
Lee-sounds fantastic!!!Wish I was closer...

Miss Ann you would love the Peanut Recipe Contest that is a big part of the festival . You wouldn't believe that peanuts and peanut products could be used in such delicious ways !

I am not a big Festival attender. However I went to the Popcorn Festival in Beavercreek Ohio last week and the Old Fashioned Days festival in my local Xenia Ohio today. Exact same vendors at each. It looks like the originality of city Festivals is gone....Russ

I agree, Russ. A lot of the craft venders and also a lot of the foodies are like a herd of Traveling Carnie Folks. However, the 'pioneer skills' folks seem to be connected via a local network somehow. In the case of the Apple Butter demo, there were about 6 ladies and a couple of older men in period costumes working in an 'outdoor. I know one of the gentlemen...he built my garage for me. He is a practicing Mennonite fellow and his wife was part of the ladies crew working very hard to prepare the 'Butter'. They added a spirit of authenticity to the demo that I have missed at some of the larger county fairs around here.

Cajun (Donald)- I wish I had a photo of the Main Street Scene in the middle of the village. There must have been hundreds of beautiful Motorcycles parked on the South Side of the street for the length of the 'business district'. Lanesville is a linear village running along one street with much smaller residencial side streets. The fairgrounds run parallel with the Main St. for the length of the business dictrict, so everything is visible as you drive thru town! The Balloon Glow (15 hot air balloons tethered) this evening should be spectacular as it is warm and clear this evening.

All in All a really nice day to enjoy our rural heritage !

I have closed Hogs many a night while visiting Heritage Days, my good friend lived right there on main street, we could park in his back yard, hop across the creek and right into the festival grounds.

The hot air balloon rides and helicopter rides were ALWAYS busy. I was always to busy to see much, grilling all those brats.

I think I posted this once before, maybe on another thread, but if you want to see lists of different festivals in the south, here is a link. Looks like they include arts and crafts shows and all different types of venues.
[url='http://www.southfest.com/florida.shtml']Southern Festivals[/url]

Actually, I am amending this for this link, which is complete listing..

Sorry...

http://festivalsandevents.com/

Roossy , they neglected our National Peanut Festival here in Dothan and the Wiregrass Area . But here is their website , I believe that I've posted it previously , too :

http://www.nationalpeanutfestival.com/

Parson's Trading Post in Wisconsin Dells is holding a Native American Pow-wow on the 27th from 9-4. I'm going to try and make it, but no promises. It's open to the public, and should be a chance to learn about their heritage.

370 Wisconsin Dells Pkwy. (Hwy. 12)
Lake Delton, WI
1-866-281-8704

NO Internet URL? I couldn't find one.

quote:

Originally posted by iqdiva

Roossy , they neglected our National Peanut Festival here in Dothan and the Wiregrass Area . But here is their website , I believe that I've posted it previously , too :

http://www.nationalpeanutfestival.com/

For Shame... I guess the take stuff off the net, and rely on others to submit others.

I guess the hope for people like you to offer what was not included, and I dont think they meant to leave certain things out....
Maybe email them, so they can insert it for next year???

Rattle Snake roundup in Sweetwater Tx. I would go there years ago when I lived in Abilene, Tx. It was a great time in March. The snake is great and the people that handle them are just nuts. I can handle snakes, but not them.

I finally made it to The Great Decatur, Georgia Beer Tasting Festival (the advance sale tickets sell out quick!) - a great way to sample different types without committing yourself to buying blind. Beautiful weather, good food concessions and a very good-natured crowd!

In south Louisiana we have a festival for pretty much anything. In my little home town of St. Martinville we have the "Boucherie" which is as festival celebrating the butchering of a pig or other large animal, the "Pepper festival" to celebrate the many hot sauces and pickled peppers in the area, and the "Okra festival" to celebrate our African American cooking heritage. To get into a listing of festivals within 30 sq/miles would take forever.

Some of the many elements of South LA festivals are:

plenty of beer or other liquor
lots of food (related or not!)
music - usually cajun with a mix of country/soul/zydeco/etc
FUN

CY