One thing I enjoy about fall in Ohio is the abundance of festivals. It’s not so much the crap sold at most of them, but the food!!! Over the past several years, it seems better and better food is made available at festivals. From bourbon chicken to made-to-order potato chips, maybe even a deep-fried twinkie or funnel cake.
Pat is a friend of mine that does barbecue at festivals, as Patrick’s BBQ, and there’s something about barbecue that fits festivals, I think. Maybe it’s the fact that the food is cooked over a simple fire, or the smokiness in the air around the pit. Just not needing any electrical hookup seems to say that the bbq pit belongs at a festival. I also think barbecue can be a better buy than other foods. You may pay $5 for a sandwich at a festival that would typically sell for $4 normally, but the same $5 gets you barbecue that goes for $2 more at a restaurant.
It just makes fiscal sense to get good barbecue when you look at it that way! The problem is finding good barbecue, as a lot of barbecue out there at festivals is not good at all! I’ve had wings that taste like charcoal and pork that has no flavor. A lot of attendees don’t know any better, but I can’t stand it when people sell barbecue like that. It’s obvious they’re just trying to make a buck by doing things quick and cheap for a festival, instead of showing some pride in what they do.
The Waynesville Sauerkraut festival is this weekend. Fortunately, the weather will be good, bit it’s going to be around 80 degrees F. I prefer sunny and 60′s for the festival, but it should still be a great festival. Where other festivals in the area bring in 80,000 people of they’re lucky, the Sauerkraut Festival had 360,000 people in 2007!
A couple of things set the Sauerkraut Festival apart from others. Since it brings in so many people, it also attracts better than average vendors, which brings in more people, which attracts better vendors (you get the picture). Another thing that’s different is that all the food vending is done only by non-profit groups. There’s kind of a set group that always do the food, and the groups include churches, the Masons, local athletic and band boosters, etc. They typically do the same foods each year, and attendees expect them to have the same foods. People even make their festival plans based on where the food they want is, so they can make the right circuit to get the right stuff.
So I’ve got my plans for sauerkraut doughnuts, sauerkraut pizza, a huge reuben sandwich and a sauerkraut sundae (potatoes, sauerkraut and roasted pork). My weekend will be full, along with my belly… Oh, I might look at some of the stuff the other booths are selling, too, just to say I made the rounds. I have to do something between the food vendors!
I’d love to hear about your favorite festivals. I don’t even know if they do this sort of festival in the south! What’s your favorite thing about festivals?
