Harvest festivals are all about celebrating the reaping and gathering of locally grown produce that comes to maturity around the time of the festival. In the past, family and friends cooked massive amounts of hearty foods, threw hay around, let the children run wild at night with corn dolls while the adults drank hard apple cider and danced around a bonfire. Ah, the good old days.
Here in the Wood River Valley the Sawtooth Botanical Garden takes a slightly different path toward the celebration. Good clean, safe fun is the name of this game.
The fifth annual Sawtooth Botanical Garden's Fall Harvest Festival will run from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19. Among all the games and treats there are several special attractions this year.
First, there will be a Community Cornbread Contest open to anyone and a professional Chili Cook-off featuring well-known valley-based chefs.
Contest judges will be a consortium of valley big shots, including Hailey Mayor Rick Davis, private chef Brent Barsotti, race card driver Johnny Unser, Cristina Cook of Cristina's restaurant and Michael Zentner of Knob Hill Inn.
The winner of the cornbread contest will receive a season pass to Soldier Mountain Ski Resort, second place will be awarded a dinner at daVinci's and a Company of Fools show, and for third place, cast-iron cornbread molds and a set of Riedel wine glasses from Ketchum Kitchens.
The Chili Cook-off will feature the creations of Mamie and Callie Rasberrie of Rasberries, Chris Kastner of CK'S Real Food, Jason Craft of Fresshies, Ric Lum Catering and Buffalo Bites and Scott Mason of Ketchum Grill. There are special prizes for the chefs.
Coleslaw, hot cocoa, mulled cider and Perry's cookies will be served to complement these items. For the kids there will be sack races, pumpkin games and painting, apple bopping, cider pressing and a bouncy house.
Purchasable items include beer and wine, Home Sweet Home Honey from Buhl and pastry chef Nancy Rutherford's holiday pastries and homemade pretzels. Don't miss live music by The Damphools.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, or $40 for a family, which includes everything. Pre-register for the cornbread contest with Allison Kennedy at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden at 726-9358.
Hey punkin’ Photo by Willy Cook
