Walla Walla Sweet Onion festival should be a crowd-pleaser
Walla Walla Sweet Onion festival should be a crowd-pleaser
Kathy Fry, marketing director for the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee, said that this year's Walla Walla Sweet Onion Festival July 14-16 is going to be a chart-topper. For the first time in its 22-year history, the event has been expanded to more than two days, and admission and parking are free to all attendees.
A kickoff dinner and silent auction will be held Friday, July 14, to honor the valley's sweet onion growers and acknowledge the support of event sponsors. The festival will then move into high gear at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, July 15-16.
Ms. Fry said that the marketing committee has historically worked with local nonprofit organizations as a way to "give back to the community." By all indications, the festival this year could draw 10,000 event-goers to sample food, participate in fund-raising activities for local organizations and just generally have fun under the Walla Walla sun.
Sponsored by a variety of organizations and individual donors both large and small, the event maintains firm footing. This year, Railex has come on board as one of three Platinum Colossal sponsors. The other two are Comcast and Charter Communications.
Six local chefs will provide cooking demonstrations -- a festival tradition -- with each incorporating the trademarked Walla Walla Sweet Onions into their presentations. Recipes for using the sweets will also be available.
In addition to the chefs, the Northwest Pacific Barbecue Association will also be cooking and sharing insider secrets. According to Ms. Fry, the barbecue has always received high marks at the festival, and other favorite activities include a pancake breakfast, two fast-paced poker runs and numerous events and diversions for children.
With the festival's expansion to two days, Ms. Fry said that several new events have been added, all assured to be crowd-pleasers. This marks the first-ever "The Sweet Power of Friendship" 5k/10k fun run, sponsored by Walla Walla Friends, a local nonprofit organization which pairs mentors with at-risk youth.
Multicultural Marketing & Recruitment Director Joey August said that the organization is getting good feedback about participation in the inaugural event, and he said, "We hope to make this run a premier event."
The run is being sponsored by Walla Walla Friends, Harvest Foods, Looney's and the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee.
"Another awesome element we've added is a rock concert with a beer garden," Ms. Fry told The Produce News. Admission to the concert by King Karma, which is predicted to draw about 2,000 music fans, is $15, and warming up the show will be the local bands The Blast and So Farr. King Karma, which hails from Vancouver, will perform selections from its newly released CD. Summing it up, Ms. Fry said, "If you don't come to the Sweet Onion Festival this year, you've never been."
A kickoff dinner and silent auction will be held Friday, July 14, to honor the valley's sweet onion growers and acknowledge the support of event sponsors. The festival will then move into high gear at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, July 15-16.
Ms. Fry said that the marketing committee has historically worked with local nonprofit organizations as a way to "give back to the community." By all indications, the festival this year could draw 10,000 event-goers to sample food, participate in fund-raising activities for local organizations and just generally have fun under the Walla Walla sun.
Sponsored by a variety of organizations and individual donors both large and small, the event maintains firm footing. This year, Railex has come on board as one of three Platinum Colossal sponsors. The other two are Comcast and Charter Communications.
Six local chefs will provide cooking demonstrations -- a festival tradition -- with each incorporating the trademarked Walla Walla Sweet Onions into their presentations. Recipes for using the sweets will also be available.
In addition to the chefs, the Northwest Pacific Barbecue Association will also be cooking and sharing insider secrets. According to Ms. Fry, the barbecue has always received high marks at the festival, and other favorite activities include a pancake breakfast, two fast-paced poker runs and numerous events and diversions for children.
With the festival's expansion to two days, Ms. Fry said that several new events have been added, all assured to be crowd-pleasers. This marks the first-ever "The Sweet Power of Friendship" 5k/10k fun run, sponsored by Walla Walla Friends, a local nonprofit organization which pairs mentors with at-risk youth.
Multicultural Marketing & Recruitment Director Joey August said that the organization is getting good feedback about participation in the inaugural event, and he said, "We hope to make this run a premier event."
The run is being sponsored by Walla Walla Friends, Harvest Foods, Looney's and the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee.
"Another awesome element we've added is a rock concert with a beer garden," Ms. Fry told The Produce News. Admission to the concert by King Karma, which is predicted to draw about 2,000 music fans, is $15, and warming up the show will be the local bands The Blast and So Farr. King Karma, which hails from Vancouver, will perform selections from its newly released CD. Summing it up, Ms. Fry said, "If you don't come to the Sweet Onion Festival this year, you've never been."
