CORNWALL, Ontario – As the first Eastern Ontario Garlic Festival draws ever closer, additions to the free, family-friendly event keep sprouting.
With a basket of the fat, pungent bulbs in hand at Lamoureux Park on Friday (August 21), organizers announced the festival will now feature more than 50 vendors and a chuckwagon breakfast with all local products. The small media conference also called for artists, musicians, and volunteers.
“Garlic goes with everything, right?” joked Brenda Norman, owner of Monkland’s Kozroots Garlic and Herb Farm and leader of Kozroots Community Empowerment Projects (KCEP), the non-profit organization presenting the festival.
The one-day event is happening at Lamoureux Park from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday (August 30). Proceeds will go towards the Green Thumbs Project, a new initiative launching in spring 2016, for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Festival activities include: cooking demonstrations, Iron Man obstacle course, pie baking contest, drumming circle, corn roast, live musical entertainment, artists’ corner, Zumba, yoga, and a guest appearance from Ontario Garlic Book author Peter McClusky.
Norman says there is still time to register your family, company, or organization in the Iron Man and enter the pie contest.
Meanwhile, organizers are still looking for volunteers to help with greeting guests, children’s activities, the breakfast event, and setup and teardown. In addition, artists and musicians interested in participating in the inaugural event are also invited to register.
Artists will be part of a designated corner near the clock tower, while the buskers will be spread out throughout the grounds to entertain guests.
For more information about the festival, visit www.kozroots.com and www.facebook.com/easternontariogarlicfestival. For additional details on volunteering or performing, email eogarlicfest@gmail.
