Garlic festival coming up

Fantastic food, exciting entertainment, new educational tent, awesome artisans & garlic galore! Shawnee on Delaware — Fifteen years of garlic-y goodness! A local tradition, the Pocono Garlic Festival is happening again on Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 5 & 6. Host site Shawnee Mountain Ski Area is pleased to offer a sampling of the regions’ local farms, food vendors, crafters and entertainers for the Poconos locally-based, premier food festival. Home grown This event is truly all about the garlic and all the garlic featured, sold and used for food preparation at the event is grown and harvested in the Poconos. Local farms providing garlic and produce for the festival include: Knob View Farm, the Josie Porter Farm, Rolling Hills Farm, Fairman Farm, Burdick Creek Gardens, Mapleland Farms, Swarmbustin’ Honey, Tassleberry Farm, Apple Ridge Farm, Mountaindale Farms and Ridge Runner Ranch. Food and craft vendors Over 50 vendors will provide a wide range of foods from simple to sophisticated, geared for the “foodie” with discerning taste buds. The 2009 Pocono Garlic Festival is a platform to showcase the region’s most pungent garlic and finest eateries. Delectable delights will range from garlic beef brisket and creamy garlic soup to garlic ice cream and garlic lemonade. Local artists and crafters will exhibit a variety of hand crafted garlic-themed creations and wears at this year’s two day event. From homemade wood items to pottery to jewelry and even handcrafted soaps, garlic in every form imaginable will be on display. Non-stop music and shows Musical headliners Zydeco-A-Go-Go will be returning to the Pocono Garlic Festival this year along with local favorites, Burning Bridget Cleary, the Juggernaut String Band, Blue Emerald, The Lost Ramblers, Pearls Before Swine (formerly known as Milkweed) and much more. The PA Dance Network will also be returning with several dance performances throughout both days. With two outdoor stages, an outdoor children’s area, educational lectures, cooking demonstrations and strolling acts, festival-goers will enjoy a wide variety of non-stop live music and garlic-themed novelty shows and entertainment geared towards the whole family. New educational tent New to this year’s event, we have dedicated an area of the festival to educational demonstrations and lectures and are very excited to announce the addition of Chef Alice to our educational line-up. Hailing from Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Chef Alice will be serving up cooking demonstrations for both adults and children all weekend long. If you want to learn how to cook with garlic, this is the place to be! The festival will be held rain or shine. Advanced festival admission tickets: adults $7.50 and children ages 5 - 12 $6, age 4 and under free, are now on sale. Plenty of free onsite parking is provided. For more Pocono Garlic Festival information, including vendors and entertainment listings and online ticket sales, visit www.shawneemt.com. For general information call 570-421-7231. For lodging information, 888-FERNWOOD (Fernwood Resort) or 800-POCONOS (visitors bureau). Or visit Shawnee Mountain on-line at www.shawneemt.com.