Big Chuck Says: “Oneonta Needs a Food Festival. What Should it Be?”
I love to go to food festivals. I wish Oneonta would have one.
Food festivals are great fun. Find a food, Highlight it. Bring in vendors of the same kid and make it a community event. We have seen the success of our beer festivals, which routinely sell out. Now, lets take a look at food.
Just today I saw that this weekend there is a Cauliflower Festival in Margaretville and an Garlic Festival in Milford. Now, that is the idea. Who knew that Margaretville was once one of the largest cauliflower producers in the state?
Each of these festivals include family events, live music, events and vendors.
I have been to many Bar-B-Q festivals, cupcake festival (Gardiner, NY)corn festivals, pie festivals, chowder festivals (the one in Saratoga attracts 100,000 a year!) and even a pickle festival in Rosendale, NY.
So lets do it! But what food should it be? I of course lean to Italian. A Pizza Festival? Maybe to broad. A Meatball Festival? Perfect! It could be anything from a Cookie Festival to a Chili Festival (CANO's Chili Cookoff is a great start). The Food Truck Festival at the Hospice concert this year is a good starting point, too.
It would start small and then grow. Hey, we can't all start out like the Spiedie Festival in Binghamton which is one of the largest food festivals in the state. And speaking of that....the Buffalo, NY Chicken Wing Festival is the largest food festival in the COUNTRY!
So, what food should it be Oneonta? I want to hear from you.