By Victor Block
In Gilroy, California, people line up to purchase watermelon, ice cream and chocolate, all of which are laced with fresh, pungent garlic. In an area of Wisconsin where pioneers and Native Americans once faced off, men and women vie to see who can throw a "cow chip" the farthest. Underwater divers off Florida's Looe Key are serenaded by sounds ranging from a song sung by the Beatles to the high-pitched call made by humpback whales.
These disparate scenes have one thing in common: They're three of countless fairs and festivals that are held throughout the year and around the country which focus on, celebrate and honor a variety of animals and art, food and fun, and other themes.
Take that crowd of garlic-lovers. For 35 years, the Gilroy Garlic Festival has been one of the largest gatherings of foodies in the United States. Like most fairs based on a theme, this one includes its share of entertainment, music, arts and crafts, and other attractions. And like many, it raises money that is donated to charities and nonprofit organizations.
The festival provides an opportunity for those who attend to indulge in their love of garlic and their belief that it is underused in recipes. Along with opportunities to nosh on the tasty treats, there are competitions for local cooks and professional chefs, and a Great Garlic Cook-Off contest for amateurs. For more information, visit www.gilroygarlicfestival.com.
Food, sort of, also is the focus of the somewhat grossly named Roadkill Cook-Off in Marlinton, West Virginia, held in conjunction with an autumn Harvest Festival. Where else would you be asked how you prefer your deer sausage, squirrel gravy over biscuits or teriyaki-marinated bear prepared? The entrees that are served haven't actually been killed on a road, but they're on the menu as a tribute to the large number of cousins who were. This event is not for vegetarians or those with a delicate palate. For more information, visit www.pccocwv.com/roadkill.
Seldom are the words "delectable" and "creepy crawlers" used together, except in relation to the annual BugFest. Each year more than 35,000 adventurous diners descend upon Raleigh, North Carolina, to observe, learn about and, for those brave enough, eat — bugs.
Did you know that arthropods — invertebrates with an external skeleton and segmented body — make up three-quarters of all the animals on earth? Would you enjoy an insect tour with an expert who describes the critters' lifestyles? Are you brave (or, perhaps, foolish) enough to scarf down dishes that include bugs as a major ingredient? If so, check out the details at www.bugfest.org.
One guess what the feature attraction is at the annual Great Texas Mosquito Festival in the town of Clute, about a 45-minute drive from Houston. It transforms a summer nuisance into the star attraction at a three-day event. When they're not competing in mosquito calling and mosquito legs contests, participants are hanging out with Willie-Man-Chew, the festival mascot. Billed as the largest mosquito in the world, he (or she) stands 26 feet tall, sports an oversize cowboy hat and boots, and has a proboscis that would be the envy of any mosquito. For more information, visit www.mosquitofestival.com.
Larger specimens of the animal kingdom play the leading role at the annual San Fermin running of the bulls in New Orleans, which is copied from the famous weeklong series of events held in Pamplona, Spain, each summer. The Spanish version is named for St. Fermin, a priest who lived during the third century and became the first bishop of Pamplona.
While New Orleans is best known for its French history, it also was under Spanish control at times. Knowing that, a festival based upon the bull-running event in Spain doesn't seem out of place. However, there is one major difference. In New Orleans, participants are chased by woman from professional roller derby teams who may whack any runners whom they catch with a foam Wiffle-ball bat.
The event also includes a four-course gourmet dinner accompanied by Spanish wines, sangria tasting and — because of Ernest Hemingway's love of Spain and bullfighting — a contest to select the most realistic Hemingway lookalike. For more information visit www.nolabulls.com.
The schedule of activities at most festivals includes music of some kind, and there are others at which it is the major attraction. Divers and snorkelers off the Florida coast are participants in the Lower Keys Sanctuary as music and other sounds waft down from above.
The sea-focused playlist includes melodies like the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" and the theme from "The Little Mermaid." Participants are encouraged to wear appropriate costumes, and some pretend to play whimsical underwater instruments made by a local sculptor. For more information, visit www.lowerkeyschamber.com/festival.php.
A very different kind of music entertains guests during Hillbilly Days in Pikesville, Kentucky. Hillbillies, "authentic and aspiring," gather for three days to celebrate the Appalachian culture with a quilt show, traditional crafts, an appropriate choice of "vittles" — and hillbilly music. For more information visit www.hillbillydays.com.
Even if you're familiar with popular themes such as the hymn "Ava Maria" by Franz Schubert and "Over the Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz," you're almost sure to hear them presented in a new way if you attend the New York City Musical Saw Festival. Saw players from around the world gather each year to perform solos, combine into saw orchestras and accompany singers. There also are workshops for players at all levels of expertise, including one that allows people to try their hand at saws of various designs, and a beginner's lesson for people who have no musical saw experience. For more information visit www. musicalsawfestival.org.
There's also a long list of events that don't fit easily into categories. They include such disparate themes as duck tape, UFOs and cow chips.
Duck tape or duct tape — both names are used — is the featured attraction at the annual Duck Tape Festival. Appreciators of that very American product descend upon Avon, Ohio, to spend three days at activities that include a duck-tape fashion show, statues made of the sticky substance and a parade with duck-tape floats. For more information visit www.ducktapefestival.com.
In 1947 an object crashed at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico, that the Air Force ever since has insisted was a weather surveillance balloon. Even so, a persistent group of people have clung to the belief that the accident involved an extraterrestrial spaceship whose occupants were recovered by the military and the incident consequently covered up.
Whatever the facts surrounding that incident are, one sure fact is that the area has been the go-to destination for those who cling to the belief that our planet has been visited by aliens. True believers in unidentified flying objects, skeptics who could be convinced and others simply seeking a bit of fun gather at the annual UFO Festival. Among activities are a costume contest, "alien chase," and presentations by authors of adult and children's books about UFOs, paranormal experiences and earthlings who recount being abducted by visitors from outer space. For more information, visit www.ufofestivalroswell.com.
Anyone who's a fan of the "Game of Thrones" hit TV series will feel at home dropping by one of the Renaissance Fairs that are held in a number of states. Many of these make-believe settings seek to replicate life during the reign of British royalty, including Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) and Henry VIII (1509-1547). The usual order of business includes an abundance of period-costumed entertainers and fairgoers, musical and theatrical acts, and stands selling art, handicrafts and food. Efforts to encourage, persuade and, some might say, good-naturedly intimidate members of the audience to participate in the fun and frivolity are usually part of the scene. To see a list of Renaissance Fairs, visit
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_renaissance_fairs.
WHEN YOU GO.
If none of these fun festivals has appeal for you, fret not. An Internet search will reveal a virtual A-to-Z list of alternatives, including a Bigfoot Festival, National Hollerin' Contest, kinetic sculpture race and events that honor chickens, lentils, tarantulas, turpentine, dancing and much more.
Victor Block is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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