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 Sunday, where you can enjoy live music, art, crafts and local produce by the river.
“We like to feature our local garlic growers each year,” said festival coordinator Gabriele Wesle, “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.”
There are a number of different ways to participate at this family-friendly event.
Sign up for the popular garlic-eating and garlic-cooking contests. Combine the fresh ingredients provided into a delectable dish, cheer your favourite in the garlic-eating contest, or dare to enter yourself. New this year are garlic cooking demonstrations and Q &A with a local chef.
The Allan Brooks Nature Centre is celebrating Raptor Week at the festival. Come meet the birds of prey and their handlers in person, and learn about local grassland ecology in the Nature Trailer. Other fun activities for children include rock painting, creating a giant chalk board 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 a.m. on festival day. Everyone attending the festival will be given a ticket to vote for their favourite. The People’s Choice will feature prominently in next year’s poster and advertising. Last year’s winning painting is by artist Terry Greenhough.
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 a.m. on festival day.
Free workshops are 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 Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 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 on Facebook.