By Cecilia Nasmith
Campbellford is the place to be July 9, as that community hosts the seventh annual Incredible Edibles Festival from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Local food and artisan vendors, live music and entertainment, kids' activities and food demonstrations are planned in what organizers hope will be their biggest festival yet.
This free downtown celebration has become an annual tradition for the second Saturday in July to celebrate the Trent Hills community's strong agricultural heritage and abundance through something everybody can get behind – food. The result they aim for is awareness and support for the diverse farmers and producers who literally put food on our tables, as well as a chance to celebrate this beautiful region as an agri-food destination.
It was the lack of this awareness and celebration that, in 2013, motivated a group of women gathered around a farm kitchen table to organize the first-ever Incredible Edibles the following year.
Twenty-two vendors set up on Front Street (closed to traffic for the festival) that first year with workshops, live music and a full day of children's activities to create a festival for all ages.
There was no shortage of vendors with unique things to sample and sell – bison burgers, goat cheese, chocolates, gourmet shortbread and more. In a festival setting, locals and visitors alike could enjoy these wares and learn more from the experts about things like preserving and cheese making.
Organizers hoped to attract a few hundred visitors – and ended up with almost 3,000.
The welcome mat is out to come and see what's on display this year. The Firelights Belly Dancing Troupe will entertain at 11 a.m. prior to the opening ceremonies at noon. Live bands will play all day, starting at 1 p.m., and you can enjoy the Trellis Entertainment presentation of Cirque de Poulet at 1:45, 2:45 and 3:45 p.m.
And if you like what you see and want to dig a little deeper, Incredible Edibles day is an opportunity to get a discounted ticket for what organizers are calling the most unique farm tour in Ontario on Aug. 20.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Incredible Farm Life Experience Tour offers the chance to learn about the day-to-day lives of local farmers with animals to see, local meat and produce to purchase, and interactive activities to experience. Lunch is included on this four-farm bus tour, and tickets are $60 – $50 if you purchase yours at the Incredible Edibles festival.
