North Plains, Oregon - Elephant Garlic Festival

Last night we checked out the 21st annual Elephant Garlic Festival in North Plains.

We got there right around dinner time, but the main point of entry is right by the food vendors. Most of us went to the Rice Plate, but one of us had a great gyro, which kind of made me wish I had gotten a gyro from Getta Gyro.

The BBQ buns were really good though.

None of that may sound particularly garlicky, but most stands offered at least something that featured garlic, and often it was highly featured.

A lot of it sounded good, but I don't know that I could ever try the garlic lemonade.

For the regular vendors, yes, there was elephant garlic to be had, and I believe other types of garlic as well, but when you see those really big bulbs, you know that is the festival's heart right there.

Or it might be more accurate to say the festival's heart is the city of North Plains. There is a strong sense of community there, especially with so many local organizations and churches participating.

I can imagine the festival being fun for cooks, with the opportunity to not only purchase fresh garlic but many garlic based mixtures and products.

However, that is not all you can get. There are many other crafters there, with headbands, stamps, photos, and every type of barrette you can imagine.

I don't know if it is always this well-balanced, but the music was both audible, but not so overpowering that you could not have conversations. That was appreciated.

There are also opportunities for education.

Like you could doubt that garlic is an allium when you see them like this.

Other than the many vendors, there are different events for each day, including a car show and three different distances for running.

It is possible that some of our interest in attending came from the new signage. The old one was fine, but this is adorable.

After all, it's not just garlic; it's Elephant Garlic! Shouldn't that mean something?

And you can always take some of it home with you.

The 2018 Elephant Garlic Festival runs through tomorrow, August 12th, at Jessie Mays Community Park in North Plains.

http://funstinks.com/