3 Mouthwatering Food Festivals In March
Spring is nearly upon us, or so we're told. And while the mild winter may not make us all feel like we deserve all of spring's (and late winter's) delicious bounty, we'll take it anyway. So, to kick off the month of March, we chose the three food festivals we're dying to attend so that we, too, can ring in warmer weather by celebrating the foods we look forward to most.
Florida Strawberry Festival (March 1–11)
We'd brave fanny-packed crowds any day if it meant biting into bright and fresh local strawberries at the Florida Strawberry Festival. It's held every year in Plant City, Fla., and has been going strong since 1930, hosting events like an annual parade, arts and craft stations, a beauty pageant where the Strawberry Queen is crowned, live entertainment, carnival rides, cake decorating contests, and the festival's famous strawberry shortcake. We also noticed that this year's music schedule includes Demi Lovato, Vince Gill, and Air Supply...
What could be more delicious than a whole festival dedicated to maple syrup? This year marks the 49th annual Parke County Maple Syrup Fair held in Rockville, Ind. Pancakes served with whole hog sausages and, of course, golden maple syrup are served all day to festival attendees, while local maple syrup producers set up booths at the festival to showcase just how they make their syrups. There's also live theater on offer every year, courtesy of the Parke Players. This year's production is called The Kitchen Witches. (Photo courtesy of Flickr/Chiot's Run)
Yuma Lettuce Days (March 10-11)
Yuma Lettuce Days is in its 13th year and is already incredibly popular — they're expecting more than 40,000 people this year. With a Harvest Dinner, ice and vegetable carving events, local restaurant tastings, wine and microbrew tastings, cooking classes, cooking contests, and a local agriculture tour, it's easy to see why.