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The Southern Vermont Garlic Festival

For 20 years the Southern Vermont Garlic & Herb Festival has been a haven for garlic lovers from all over the world. The festival combines the love of garlic with the picturesque landscapes that the Camelot Village area is known for. Food at the festival is obviously garlic themed, but they feature unique can’t-miss dishes like garlic ice cream and garlic jelly. This is a great event to bring the entire family featuring activities like face painting, inflatable bouncy rooms and plenty of wide open spaces to run around in. If you're going to the festival without the children, take a break from all the garlic action in the covered wine and beer garden. If you're looking to grow your own garlic, this is the perfect festival for you. There are classes in gardening, garlic growing and they will even show you some of the best ways to use garlic while cooking. I got the opportunity to interview Marie Shutts the Operations Director of the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce.

 

RAL: How long has the event existed?

MS: This is the 20th Annual Southern VT Garlic and Herb Festival.

 

RAL: How many vendors and visitors do you have annually?

MS: Right now, we are at 187 vendors and we are hoping for 15,000 through the gate.

 

RAL: What can I expect for food?

MS: Food concessions include burgers, hot dogs, dumplings, noodles, bread dough, Thai food, Indian food, Mexican food, German food,  lemonades (all kinds including black garlic), wood fired pizza, chocolates, cider donuts, crab cakes, BBQ’s, ice cream (including garlic flavored), deep fried garlic, popcorn (even garlic flavored), lobster rolls, garlic fries, deep fried oreos, garlic buttered corn on the cob, garlic knots, meatball subs, eggplant subs, fried dough dogs, Italian ices, smoothies, and so much more.

 

RAL: Tell me about the location?

MS: We have a wonderful open area in front of the Camelot Village Antique Center. The parking area can accommodate enough cars to reach our 15,000 spectator goal and parking is FREE.

 

RAL: What kind of activities are there to enjoy?

MS: There are kids activities each day that last all day. People of all ages can enjoy live musical entertainment each day all day, as well as taste samples, shopping, and demonstrations of garlic growing and cooking.

 

RAL:  What can an attendee expect to find for local lodging?

MS: The following list is made up of the Lodging members in the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce. Please contact the Chamber office if you have any questions about lodging that we can help you with. Our list of lodging providers include Arlington Inn, Arlington West Mountain Inn, Arcady at the Sunderland Lodge, Bennington Motor Inn, Best Western Plus New Englander Motel, Eddington House Inn Bed & Breakfast, Four Chimneys Inn, Greenwood Lodge and Campsites, Hampton Inn Bennington, Harwood Hill Motel, Henry House Inn, Hill Farm Inn, Ira Allen House, Knotty Pine Motel, Meadowood Farm, Paradise Inn, Safford Mills Inn & Cafe, Serenity Motel, South Shire Inn, Starlight Inn, Taraden Bed & Breakfast and Vermont Mountain Retreat.

 

RAL: Does the event drive extra business to the local economy?

MS: It certainly does as our vendors visit our local restaurants, stay in our motels, hotels, and B & B’s. They also shop if time permits.

 

RAL: Does lodging hit max occupancy during the event?

MS: Yes it does and many times people have to venture out of the immediate area to find lodging.

 

RAL: Why should people come to your event?

MS: There is no better place to be in September than Vermont, and there’s no better weekend than September 5th and 6th. That’s when the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the annual Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival at Camelot Village in Bennington, Vermont. This year they celebrate the 20th anniversary with more vendors, more activities, more performances, and more garlic than ever.

 

The Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival has been named one of Vermont’s “Top Ten Events of the Year”, selected as a “Top Event” by Yankee Magazine’s Best of New England, and recently considered as one of the Top 10 Garlic Festivals in the world!

 

It’s the garlic lover’s dream come true, with almost two hundred vendors featuring everything from garlic ice cream to garlic jelly, pickled garlic, roasted garlic, garlic braids and, of course, plain garlic bulbs of every variety. Every variety will be available for sampling or purchase.

 

For aspiring gardeners, garlic growers, garlic lovers or those simply looking for a fun way to spend a late summer weekend, the event promises something for everyone. Demonstrations begin Saturday morning and continue throughout the weekend on subjects including planting, growing, braiding, and cooking different garlic varieties.  

 

Not a garlic lover? No problem, you’ll find dozens of restaurant tents and food trucks, lots of activities for the kids, and best of all, live entertainment all weekend long featuring some of the area’s top bands and performers. You’ll want to spend the entire weekend listening to great music, enjoying specialty drinks like the “Garlic Margarita” in the Wine and Beer Garden and sampling all the food selections while relaxing on the shaded great lawn of Camelot Village.  So bring your lawn chairs and friends. Also while at the festival, make sure to save time to wander through Camelot Village, New England’s largest antique center, featuring over two hundred antique dealers on three levels.


For more information please visit www.lovegarlic.com.