| Feb 22, 2017


With Central Frontenac Council approving the idea in principle at their January meeting, The Seed to Sausage Day of the Pig annual food festival is set to move from the cramped confines of the Seed to Sausage store and butcher shop site on Road 38 to the Sharbot Lake Beach.

Mike McKenzie of Seed to Sausage has been talking with Councillor Victor Heese and Oso Recreation Committee Chair Lesley Merrigan for several months with a view towards arranging for a change of venue for the event, which last year drew an estimated 3,000 people over 7 hours on the Sunday of the Victoria Day long weekend. McKenzie was happy to hear that Council is on board.

“Everything looks good now that we have this approval. I have already been looking at the site and it will be a great opportunity to take this event to another level entirely,” he said, when contacted last week.

Among the plans for the new site are an expanded stage and more entertainment in addition to improved facilities for the many food and craft vendors who participated in the show before, and the opportunity to increase the number and variety of vendors.

McKenzie said that there will have to be fencing for the new site, as there was at his own property, because regional breweries and wineries have been and will continue to be an important part of the event. Big Rig, McKinnon Brothers, Beaus and other breweries have been involved in previous years.

“We might be looking at a modest ticket price this year, maybe $10 or $15, which is a change from what we have been doing, but I want to take the opportunity to bring in some more expensive entertainment,” said McKenzie, who does not expect to see the event turn a profit but would like to see it as a break even proposition.

“When we started I looked at it as a party to open the store for the season, but it turned into an event, which should be able to support itself” he said. “If it ever did turn a profit the money would go towards next year’s event.” Among the entertainment he is looking at for this year is the Blue Mushroom Circus Psyshow which combines dance, theatre, vaudeville, burlesque and puppetry. There will be musical acts as well.

The Day of the Pig will continue to take place on the Sunday of the long weekend to enable some of the chefs from Kingston, Ottawa and beyond who are fond of using Seed to Sausage products in their cuisine, to attend.

Last year, there were 5 suckling pigs prepared throughout the day and at the new site there may be more, but they will all be prepared in the morning this time to make sure there are ready at all times during the day.

“I think at this location, in Sharbot Lake, there will be a greater impact on the local community and we can really show off all the food producers in the area, the beauty of the lake, and the charm of the village,” he said. “I see no reason for this event not to grow and be a way to demonstrate what is possible at other times during the summer season.”

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