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"I love this race and the town!! I am glad I chose this for my spring event!"
Friday, April 9, 2010
Foodies, Grab Your Calendars
Printed in the Burlington Free Press
Strawberry socials, wine tastings, community picnics and fancy food festivals are an abundant feature of spring and summer in Vermont.
If these events have a certain cache, they also have a rich tradition in the state: Decades before localvore was a household word and sustainable was a preferred agricultural practice, Vermonters have been gathering for church suppers and neighborhood potlucks — the meal often as local as the backyard garden.
New events and activities centered around food or wine seem to be springing up daily in Vermont; other traditions date back more than half a century.
This year will mark the 62nd annual Addison County Fair and Field Days, where cows, cakes and corn testify to Vermont’s farm and food heritage.
It is the 34th year of the salad lunch put on by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in St. Albans, and the seventh year of a Grand Isle strawberry social to benefit the local rescue squad.
A community supper kicks off Year One next month in Burlington: a new event that organizers hope will grow into a long-running tradition. In place of the pasta dinner for KeyBankVermont City Marathon runners and friends, which was held each at the Sheraton, a handful of community organizations are hosting pasta dinners.
Runners, friends, family and community members are welcome at these dinners, each to bear the stamp of the host. Participating groups include King Street Center, Outright Vermont and College Street Congregational Church. [Visit VermontCityMarathon.org for a complete list of participating organizations and reservation information.]
Run Vermont officials encourage other groups to informally join the tradition — and throw a spaghetti dinner at home, church, club or other spot for skinny runners on Saturday night (May 29) before the race.
“We envision them as all across Burlington on Saturday night,” said Lesli Blount, Run Vermont board member. “Community dinners and neighborhood dinners, for local and out-of-town people.
“We really wanted to bring it back to the community. It’s such a well-supported race in Burlington. People are out cheering — here’s just another way the community can be involved in it.”
Today in Savorvore, we start what we hope will be a seasonal tradition in these pages: gathering and listing an abundant variety of food, drink and farm events in Vermont.
We begin with a sampling of spring and summer events, aware that the list is not comprehensive and asking people to let us know (with the season) what’s going on.
Like a healthy crop, our events list will grow.
Contact Sally Pollak at spollak@burlingtonfreepress.com or 660-1859.
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