Field Report: The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival
by Bill Dusty
Stunning scenic views, friendly faces, and rustic small town settings are reason enough to visit the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. But this time of year there is another, even more enticing excuse to cross the Hudson River: Garlic.
The 20th Annual Hudson Valley Garlic Festival was held this past weekend in Saugerties, New York. The two-day event has been a destination for garlic lovers since it was dreamed up by its founder, Pat Reppert, back in 1989 (Saugerties Times). Today, the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival is one of the largest garlic festivals in the country.
The numbers for this year’s event were not in yet as of this writing, but according to a Festival website, the marketplace page lists 129 garlic vendors – and that’s not to mention the dozens of arts & crafts vendors doing business there. (See map, here.) Be sure to bring an appetite, too, since the food vendors at the Festival are eager to serve up their garlic pork sandwiches, garlic chowder, garlic popcorn, and even garlic ice cream. (As this is a family event, the organizers have opted not to have alcoholic beverages at the Festival, so you’ll just have to search elsewhere for garlic beer.)
There is also live entertainment at the Festival, with several bands sprinkled throughout the festival grounds. In addition to the bands, there is also a large puppet show on hand to entertain the kids.
If you’re planning on visiting the Hudson Valley Garlic festival next year, be sure to arrive there early – the gates open at 10:00am. The parking is much closer to the grounds at that time and the crowds will be much thinner than later on in the day. By noontime and thereafter, the crowds pick up substantially. Getting to the festival is easy from Springfield: Take I-91 North to I-90 West/Albany, NY (Mass Pike), travel west until you cross over into New York and pass over the Hudson River. Then take I-87 South (New York City) until you get to Exit 20 (Saugerties). Off of the toll booth exit, take a right. You should see numerous signs directing you to the garlic festival from there. (The New York Thruway toll will cost you $3.00 [2008] to get from the NY border to Saugerties.)
Below are some photos of the event, along with a short video.
Tanna’s offered Tuscan Sea Salt and Garlic Chutney.
One vendor used this prop to attract hungry visitors.
The Garlic Prince & Princess strolled around greeting visitors.
One of the many bands providing live entertainment to the crowds.
Scenes from the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival,
with a cameo appearance by my brother, Gerry, at the end. – BD
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