The South Cariboo Garlic Festival, now in its 14th year, will be in full swing on the Felker Homestead site – just a few minutes north of Lac la Hache – which has been the location of the event for the past four years.
The Aug. 24-25 weekend will be two fun-filled days of family entertainment, festivities and garlic eats.
Jeanette McCrea, Lac la Hache Community Club treasurer and South Cariboo Garlic Festival co-ordinator, says it should be a great festival again this year. The weather is forecasted to be great, she adds.
Returning this year is the popular garlic peeling and eating contest slated to begin Saturday at 1:30 p.m. for children 14 years and under. The adults will take the garlic-eating challenge, beginning at 2 p.m. There will be prizes for the most cloves peeled and eaten in both categories.
McCrea notes that this year’s contestants for the garlic cook-off are Emma Bautista of Forest Grove, cooking Garlic Ginger Chicken served with garlic beans; Steven McCrea of Vernon, cooking Spicy Garlic Black Bean Cakes served with a lime sour cream dip; and Craig Conklin from 83 Mile will be cooking eggplant stuffed with garlic and sweet potato.
McCrea explains the cook-off selection process. She receives the recipes and all personal information is removed from them and photocopied.
The recipes are then handed over to a panel of six individuals who then choose their favourite three to move on to the cook-off.
Judging this year’s taste creations will be John McCarvill from Yummers, Gina Myhill-Jones who won the cook-off in both 2010 and 2012, as well as returning judges Heidi Read of Higher Ground Natural Foods and Leon Chretien from Sunrise Ford.
Meanwhile, a mix of music and magic will entertain the crowds during the festival, including The Two Stans, Watching Eye Magic, Third Degree, The Hanson Family singers, and Soupbone on Saturday, and Sunday, the Josslyn Ryan Band will be on stage followed by the Garlic Chef Cook-off, Perfect Match Dance Band and Elvis will once again be at the Felker Homestead site, as an encore to last year’s event.
The festival committee is still in need of a few parking attendants.
To help out or to get more information, contact McCrea at 250-395-3568, or check out the website at www.garlicfestival.ca.
