Food Festivals July 25 – 28

There are so many great Food Festivals this weekend I thought I would just put what I have found on each:

 July 23-26, 2008  American Cheese Society Annual Conference & Competition
Chicago, Illinois

July 24, 2008  Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation
Miami, Florida
Savor the finest dishes and drinks prepared by the nation’s hottest chefs and mixologists, enjoy the best wines and bid in exciting live and silent auctions. All this to catch the more than 12 million children at risk of hunger and surround them with the nutritious foods where they live, learn and play!  100% of ticket sales help ensure no kid in America grows up hungry.

July 24-26, 2008  45th Annual Louisiana Watermelon Festival
Farmerville, Louisiana
The Louisiana Watermelon Festival was founded by the Farmerville Jaycees, and is a proud member of the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals. The Festival has been named one of the Top Twenty Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.

July 24-27, 2008  21st Annual Oregon Brewers Festival
Portland, Oregon
Regarded as one of the finest craft beer festivals in the nation.

July 25, 2008  Virginia Cantaloupe Festival
Halifax County Fairgrounds, Virginia

July 25-26, 2008  Frankfort Hot Dog Festival
Frankfort, Indiana

July 25-26, 2008  Pierogi Festival
Whiting, Indiana
Pierogis, polka, parades, and more.

July 25-27, 2008  Aebleskiver Days
Tyler, Minnesota
Annual celebration of Danish heritage. Danish sandwiches, and the aebleskive – a tennis ball shaped Danish pancake. Games for the kids, crafts and entertainment for the adults, and of course, good food everywhere.

July 25-27, 2008  Blueberry Festival
Park Rapids, Minnesota
A three day festival that is focused on blueberries–a blueberry pancake breakfast, a blueberry ball, a blueberry square dance.

July 25-27, 2008  30th Annual Gilroy Garlic Festival
Gilroy, California

July 25-27, 2008  PMA Foodservice Conference
Monterey, California
Produce Marketing Association’s Foodservice Conference is the one event focused on fresh produce and foodservice.

July 25-27, 2008  Sugar Grove Corn Boil
Sugar Grove, Illinois
41st Anniversary. The Corn Boil, held in Volunteer Park on Main Street in Sugar Grove, generates approximately 15,000 visitors. There is no admission charge for visitors to the Corn Boil.

July 25-27, 2008  North Carolina Watermelon Festival
Fair Bluff, North Carolina

July 26, 2008  FishFest
Warroad, Minnesota
Walleye Fish Fry Competition on the shores of the Warroad River at Riverside Bait & Tackle.

July 26, 2008  The Great Minnesota Pie Extravaganza
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Celebrate the third annual Great Minnesota Pie Extravaganza and learn about cooking in a 1900 logging camp. Cooks worked with the ingredients they had on hand to create delicious and wholesome pies. This event allows visitors to compare and contrast pies served in the logging camps with modern day creations. The adventurous may try their hand at rolling the perfect piecrust and inventing their own take-home and bake-it pie. Visitors are encouraged to bring a recipe to share.

July 26, 2008  5th NAS BBQ, Chili Cook-off, & Music Festival
Tahoka, Texas
Come eat BBQ & enjoy talented local West Texas musicians & artists.  There is something for everyone!

July 26, 2008  Down Bay Wine Tasting
Manahawkin, New Jersey
Tuckerton Seaport’s premier fundraising event, Sample wines from across the globe, enjoy live entertainment, and bid on great silent auction items. Supports Tuckerton Seaport’s educational programs.

July 26, 2008  Mountain Brewer Open & GHHA Brewfest
Huntington, West Virginia
The Greater Huntington Homebrewers Association is proud to host the 2008 Mountain Brewer Open Homebrew Contest.  This years event will be held at St Clouds Commons, Huntington, WV on Saturday July 26th 2008. GHHA BREWFEST will follow the homebrew contest.

July 26-27, 2008  15th Annual Oxnard Salsa Festival
Oxnard, California
The Oxnard Salsa Festival is a celebration of all things salsa – the food, the music, and the dance! The two-day festival takes place at Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard. Admission and parking are free.

July 26-27, 2008  The Great Grapes Wine, Arts & Food Festival
Annapolis, Maryland
The Great Grapes Wine, Arts & Food Festival offers premier wines from various local wineries as well as gourmet foods, fine art, and live music. This festival appeals to families, couples and connoisseurs of good food, good wine and good music. Come uncork the fun!

July 26-27, 2008  Tavistock Food and Drink Festival
Tavistock, Devon, UK
Attracting over 10,000 visitors in 2007 with Celebrity Chef demonstrations; 100’s of top quality regional exhibitors; Farmers Market; Children’s Food Tent; Live Music.

July 26-27, 2008  Kickapoo Country Fair
La Farge, Wisconsin
Live Music, Sustainability Workshops, Rural Heritage Exhibits, Beer and Dancing!

July 26-27, 2008  Ballard SeafoodFest 2008
Ballard, Washington
Every year we close down the streets and roll out the fun. With entertainment for all ages, beer and wine gardens, a plethora of seafood vendors, arts and crafts and our unique contests, it’s a great, old fashioned summer party.

July 26-27, 2008  Shawangunk Wine Trail Annual Bounty of the Hudson Food & Wine Festival
New Paltz, New York
Taste the wines from all eleven wineries on the SWT as well as several others from around the Hudson Valley region.

July 26-Aug 3, 2008  Baltimore Restaurant Week
Baltimore, Maryland
Enjoy a variety of three-course dinners, in just about any cuisine that strikes your fancy, for only $30.08. Or try three-course lunches at select restaurants for just $20.08. And new this summer, many restaurants will also offer special culinary experiences, such as wine pairings, cooking classes, tasting menus and more.

June 27-28, 2008  Lakeside Vineyard Summer Festival
Felicity, Ohio
Wine tasting, wine purchasing, vineyard tours, music, dance, art, crafts, food, cruise-in

July 27-28, 2008  Very Berry Wine Trail
Hermann, Missouri
Travel to 7 local wineries tasting Berry Creations paired with wine.

July 27-30, 2008  Dietary Managers Association’s 48th Annual Meeting & Expo
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

July 27-30, 2008  NFSSC Annual Seminar & Exposition
Grapevine, Texas
National Food Service Security Council

 

Thanks to foodreference.com for the info.

Road Re-Tasted

Originally posted at Edible TV (edibletv.net) on July 21, 2008.

The other night I checked out the Food Network’s sneak preview of the new season of Road Tasted. This time around RT is hosted by the Neeley’s who replace Jamie and Bobby Deen on the quest for the best family owned food businesses that also do mail order.

Pretty much it is the same show, just different hosts. I had always been lukewarm to this show before. The businesses they highlighted were always great and watching Jamie and Bobby tour the processes behind the products was usually great fun. But then there were set-ups and the wrap-ups which were filled with a lot of forced dialog, “Hey, brother, how about that coconut pit at the Pie Emporium?” To which the other would come back with something just as unnatural, “Oh, yeah, brother, that was good, but what about those pretzels at yadda, yadda, yadda.” No one talks like that while they through a park tossing a football. I had always thought that my misgivings about the show were the result of the Deen’s acting.

I now apologize to Jamie and Bobby; it was not their fault. The problem with RT, in my opinion, is not the hosts, the Deens were good and the Neeleys are good. The problem is the producing and the writing. They seem to force the feel of their set-ups. There is nothing wrong with just saying, “Hi. We’re the Pat and Gina Neely and today on Road Tasted we’re headed on a tour of the Sunshine State,” and then naming off a list of the businesses that are to be reviewed. Sure it isn’t cutting edge, but it also doesn’t give you an uncomfortable feeling when you watch it.

If you want to have a different approach, show the two at a computer pretending to read e-mails from viewers. But the sunset view of them standing on a bridge reminiscing about all the great food they had like it was their first visit to Machu Picchu just doesn’t wash. Gina is adorable and Pat has food knowledge that goes far beyond ribs and spice rubs. He also has a foodie’s thirst for knowledge. It is clear that when he is learning something new that he is down right interested in how it works. I suggest letting the personalities dictate the vibe of the show and leave the cheesy dialog out. Then Road Tasted may go from pleasant distraction to full fledged hit.