Comments on: 7 of America’s Quirkiest Food Festivals

By: David

David — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:39:11 +0000

In Cosby, TN (foothills of the Smoky Mtns) they have the RAMP Festival celebrating…”the sweetest tasting and vilest smelling vegetable in Mother Nature’s bounty.” An edible member of the onion family, the ramp is alternately called the wild leek, taking its name from a similar plant, the rampion, which also has a fleshy tap-root. Believing the ramp to possess the revitalizing power of a spring tonic, the mountain folks looked forward to the return of the ramp after a winter of eating mostly dried foods. The ramp’s flavor, though sweet with a hint of garlic, is accompanied by a potent odor so objectionable school children with “ramp odor” were known to have been excused from school for a few days.

By: rowdie

rowdie — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:06:00 +0000

omg, i moved to the panhandle of florida in late september. imagine my surprise when they started advertising the “boggy bayou mullet festival” in niceville, fl. apparently the mullet is a kind of bottom dwelling fish. dear lord, could we get any more down home?

google “mullet festival niceville, fl” and see what happens

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:04:54 +0000

HA HA! I was just home (Lansing) and my parents were talking about going to the Gizzard festival in Potterville. Growing up, my mom used to always go to Lee’s Famous Recipe and she would buy my sister and I gizzards (I suspect they were a cheap menu item) and I remember liking them, but they were very chewy.

By: Krie

Krie — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:29:51 +0000

Interesting that most of these festivals listed are located in my home state of Michigan…

By: Harvey

Harvey — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:35:25 +0000

@ Amanda Collins,

Well done mentioning the Irmo Okra Strutt. My parents live in Irmo and its a pretty big deal. I had never heard of the Chitlin Strut though.

By: Amanda Collins

Amanda Collins — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:32:13 +0000

Well, y’all haven’t seen it all until you come to South Carolina! June 14th is the Sweet Corn Festival, July the 4th is the Gilbert Peach Festival, but we also have two other Peach Festivals in Trenton and Gaffney in the month of June. The Watermelon Festival is in July in Pageland. The Pelion Peanut Party is in Mid-August. You can’t miss that one…..And, starting in the fall in September, is the Gaston Collard Festival, the Yemassee Shrimp Festival, and whatever you do, don’t miss the Okra Strut in Irmo, SC. In October, we have another Shrimp Festival in the Low Country in Beaufort, the Sweet Potato Festival in Darlington, the Loris Bog-Off for contestants to make their best Chicken Bog, the Apple Harvest Festival in the upstate, in York. November brings us the Catfish Festival in Society Hill, the Chitlin Strut, which is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Y’all come on and visit us. We’d love to have you!

By: Tater

Tater — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:27:17 +0000

Honorable mention should go to the Slug Burger festival in McNairy County TN.

It’s not as gross as it sounds. It’s ground chicken and cornmeal.

By: Theresa

Theresa — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:25:13 +0000

Sears Catalog pages were used in outhouses for toilet paper. Everyone wanted to make sure they did not have to use the slick colored pages. The index pages worked the best.

By: gene

gene — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:16:47 +0000

A pig-nut feed (pig testicles) on a Sunday near St Pats day at a place near Weston MO. And don’t leave out the “lutfisk” (Norwegian) eating contest in Decorah IA. Can’t miss them!

By: Tawny

Tawny — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:15:45 +0000

Stockton CA has an Asparugus Festival with ripe smelling porta-potties “/ … everything food you could think of but with asparagus. Why does it turn your urine that fowl smell ??? hhmmm