| Sep 02, 2016


The Verona Lions Club will be welcoming 40 vendors on Saturday, Sept. 3 to an event that has grown steadily in recent years.

“People seem to come from all over to get their garlic, and see what is new. They are what I call 'foodies' who just love meeting with growers and supporting them,” said Wayne Conway of the Verona Lions, a key organizer of the event.

Over 40 vendors were registered for the garlic festival as of Tuesday, all from within 125 kilometres of Verona. Over half of them are producers of garlic and other garden produce, and the rest are craft vendors.

“That number is a bit down from the number of vendors we ended up with last year but every year there are last-minute additions, so I expect we will have as many or more this year than in previous years,” he said.

Among the vendors this year is a very local micro-producer, Bear Roots Gardens from downtown Verona. Pat and Kate Joslin work a 1/3 of an acre patch where they produce garlic, peppers, tomatoes, ground cherries and other vegetables, as well as a line of organic, locally adapted seeds. Don't miss their booth.

There are also four community groups who will have booths at the festival this year, including the Bellrock Community Hall; the Portland and District Heritage Society, who will be churning butter as part of their display; Girl Guides of Canada; and the Township of South Frontenac.

The canteen at the hall will be open and serving garlic- themed cuisine, and the Lions will have their two kids' rides as well as the mini-putt on hand to entertain the younger set.

At 1 pm, the Eastern Ontario Garlic Awards, one of the unique features of the Verona festival, will be presented, and the winners of the Verona Community Association's Flower Barrel contest will be announced as well. Paul Pospisil will preside over the garlic awards and John McDougall, a Lions Club member and township councilor, will be the emcee.

Before the award presentations, the festival will take some time to honor the memory of Ron Whan, a local garlic grower who played an important role in the development of the festival. Ron displayed, sold, and donated garlic each of the first nine years of the event. Last year he had a booth at the festival and at the 150th anniversary celebration for Frontenac County, but passed away a few weeks later.

Entry to the Verona Garlic Festival is by donation, and it runs from 9am until 1pm at the grounds of the Verona Lions Hall on Verona Sand Road. Don't forget to check out the Frontenac Farmers Market as well, which is held at Prince Charles School in Verona on Road 38.

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