Sean Glanville
Black Press
It was a stinkin' good time at the 14th annual South Cariboo Garlic Festival last weekend in Lac La Hache.
The event was well attended with 3,000 paid weekend passes.
"Most people that turned up on Saturday came back for Sunday and we had guests from not just the Cariboo but all over the province," said organizer Jeanette McCrea, now in her fourth year running the event since the Lac La Hache Community Club took it over.
In the Master Garlic Chef Recipe Competition and Cook-off it came down to the top three finalists. It was Emma Bautista taking first place with her Adobong Manok with Baquio Beans. Craig Conklin was runner up with his Eggplant stuffed with Garlic and Sweet Potato and Steven McCrea and his Spicy Garlic Black Bean Cakes took third spot.
The four judges for the event included two time Master Garlic Chef winner Gina Myhill-Jones, Heidi Read of Higher Ground Natural foods, Leon Chretien of Sunrise Ford and John McCarvill or Ymmers EnRoute Restaurant.
The guests were treated to live entertainment from Elvis impersonator Steve Elliot from Chilliwack, B.C. who returned to the Cariboo for a second consecutive festival and gave a crowd-pleasing performance.
Other entertainment from the weekend included music from bands Third Degree, The Perfect Match Dance Band, The Josslyn ryan Band, The Two Stans, and The Hanson Family.
McCrea was thrilled with the success of the event.
"Everything went perfect this weekend. We had a little rain Saturday but the weather was great. It was very well organized so I wasn't stressed and I was able to relax and enjoy myself," McCrea said.
The only real change to this years event was they ended the entertainment an hour earlier on Sunday to allow patrons to visit the vendors at the end of the day. This way there was not one massive exodus of vehicles.
"By ending the entertainment earlier and allow guests to hang out and visit the vendors made for a much relaxed exit and not such a rush to leave," McCrea explained.
- photos by Monika Paterson