September
FREE
2012
The
News for the Mid-Willamette Valley
Septemb er Events C Local alendar Page 2
Photo by Wayne Sanchez
Corn on the cob! Add butter, salt and pepper and...YUM! The Saturday Night Street Dance is always a popular Fall Festival feature.
Photo by Scobal Wiggans
By Karen Rogers
By Rick Rogers Mark your calendars now for September 22 and 23. This year marks the 40th anniversary for the Fall Festival held in Central Park in downtown Corvallis. The festival brings over 160 arts and craft displays and vendors together along with 21 food booths to benefit local non-profit organizations, offering treats from around the world, and two stages of nearly continuous entertainment. This year’s event will get underway starting at 10AM on Saturday, September 22, and run through 5PM on Sunday the 23rd. Festival visitors will find the park lined with vendor booths and a fine art showcase. Besides great tasting treats, the food court will also be offering wine-tasting for adults, presented by the Benton Winery Association, along with a booth highlighting local micro-brews! Children will be able to be creative in their own arts
discovery zone. Entertainment will be non-stop on the main stage and community stage featuring, some of the best musical and variety entertainers from around the northwest. One of the most anticipated events this year will be the Saturday night Street Dance from 6PM until 10PM featuring the 13-member group Soul Vaccination. The band is well-known throughout the Northwest for their great funk and soul sound. The best part is that the Corvallis Fall Festival is free! Those coming in from out of the area can park at Avery Square on Ninth Street where shuttle bus service will run to the park continuously. Organizers want to point out that pets, other than service animals, will not be allowed in Central Park during the event. For a complete schedule of all of the events and other information visit the website: www. corvallisfallfestival.org.
September is usually regarded as Harvest Time. For all of us growers and gardeners who have been harvesting things since June, that seems a bit silly! So, let’s agree to call it Fall Harvest. Apples and pears are coming on big time and pumpkins, corn, winter squash, garlic and much more are filling bins at the businesses like Peoria Road Farmer’s Market. So enjoy dead-ripe tomatoes, late season raspberries, and the soon-tofollow kiwis. Try some apple varieties that you are not familiar with and that are not found in grocery stores. Pears and Asian pears come on now; sweet and crunchy or smooth and mellow, they are amazing. Poach them in syrup or wine and they make an elegant dessert that can be made a couple of days ahead. They are wonderful served with whipped cream. Corn is still king! The glories of fresh corn are legendary: corn chowder, creamed corn and cornon-the-cob. Your local farm stand is a great place to experience the harvest season. It’s more permanent and reliable than the market. Stroll around, experience freshness, and feel free to ask questions. The staff will be glad to answer and offer their tips on the best usage of their product. Check out the beautiful new Peoria Road Farmers Market, located 1.6 miles off Highway 34 on Peoria Road. Peoria Road Farm Market at 33269 Peoria Road, Corvallis is a fine place to start experiencing the beauties of our amazing fall fruits and veggies. Enjoy!
Photo by Wayne Sanchez Photo by Randy Joss
Crowds enjoy wandering through the local arts and craft vendor’s booths.
Photo by Randy Joss
Food from around the world and so much more makes Fall Festival a premeir Corvallis event.
Fresh locally grown produce is the mainstay of the Peoria Road Farmers Market.