Regional food festivals celebrate local crops, traditions

Just about every state celebrates its crops. California honors garlic and strawberries. New York celebrates blueberries while Wisconsin and Texas host festivals celebrating grapes, apples and peaches.

Rice is celebrated in Louisiana, and Ohio has a zucchini festival. But banana pudding?

That distinction belongs to Centerville, Tenn., home of the annual National Banana Pudding Festival.

“We wanted something that people could relate to and Banana pudding is a southern tradition,” said Jeannetta Hitt, marketing specialist for the National Banana Pudding Festival, which takes place on the first weekend of October.

The event started when twelve Red Cross volunteers were looking for a new way to raise funds to help victims of disasters like fires, tornadoes and floods. It has grown steadily and draws visitors from 43 states.

Crowley, La, is home to one of the longest running events–the International Rice Festival. It began 77 years ago and takes place on the third weekend in October. Among the highlights are music, carnival with Ferris wheel, a 5k run/walk and classic car show.

While festivals often celebrate fruits like strawberries or apples, several events across the U.S. celebrate vegetables. Each spring Stockton, Calif., sponsors the Asparagus Festival and Castroville, Calif., hosts the Artichoke Festival.

Ohio, the buckeye state, closes out the summer with a festival dedicated to the versatile yet humble zucchini.

Called the Obetz Zucchini Festival, the festival is scheduled for the fourth weekend in August. It highlights a variety of zucchini dishes including breads, ice creams, fries, chips and burgers. The festival also sponsors the annual Cruise-In and Motorcycle Show at the Columbus Motor Speedway.

Corn is both a vegetable and a grain, and for the past 65 years Illinois residents have celebrated its crunchy goodness at the Grundy County Corn Festival. The September festival takes place throughout the town rather than at a central location. Food is the star, but there is plenty else to do including train rides, art shows, a parade, farm fair and water balloon fights.

Got a penchant for grapes? Visit the Naples Grape Festival, a 53-year-old festival that takes place in September and honors the grape with a two day festival of arts, food, wine and music.

Peaches get their own day in the sun at the Parker County Peach Festival in Weatherford, Texas. The 29 year-old festival takes place July 13, 2013 and features the Peach Pedal ride and a ‘42’ domino tournament.

Wisconsin’s Bayfield Apple Festival was named one of the top ten autumn festivals in North America by the Society of American Travel Writers. It occurs on the first weekend each October and features apple sundaes, caramel apples, cider and apple bratwurst. Adventuresome diners can sample mustard and butter made from apples.

No matter where your travels take you this summer there’s a festival to visit. Some of the festivals occurring in mid-to-late summer and fall include:

East:

Naples Grape Festival in Naples, NY,Sept. 28 -29: http://www.naplesgrapefest.org/

South:

Parker County Peach Festival in Weaatherford, Texas, July 13, 2013: http://www.parkercountypeachfestival.org/

Banana Festival in Fulton County, Ky., Sept. 13 – 21, 2013: http://www.thebananafestival.com/

Goats Music and More in Lewisberg, Tenn., Sept. 27 – 28, 2013: http://www.goatsmusicandmore.com/

National Banana Pudding Festival in Hickman County, Tenn., Oct. 5 – 6, 2013: http://bananapuddingfest.org/?page_id=48

North Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay, Ga., Oct. 13 – 19: http://www.georgiaapplefestival.org/

International Rice Festival in Crowley, LA, Oct. 17 - 20: http://www.ricefestival.com/

North:

Obetz Zucchini Festival in Obetz, Ohio, Aug. 22 – 25:: http://www.obetzzucchinifest.com/

Marshall County Blueberry Festival in Plymouth, Indiana, Aug. 30 – Sept. 2: http://www.blueberryfestival.org/

Bayfield Apple Festival in Bayfield, Wisc., Oct. 4 - 6: http://bayfield.org/bayfield-activities/bayfield-apple-festival/

West

Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, Calif., July 26-28, 2013: http://gilroygarlicfestival.com/

Grundy County Corn Festival in Morris, Ill., Sept. 25-29: http://www.cornfestival.org/