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Po-Boy Party Hits New Orleans This Weekend

November 20, 2008 at 1:30 PM | 0 Comments

Lots of cities like to celebrate their sandwiches: Philly's got cheesesteaks and of course Sandwich, England, has the original. But no town could really celebrate a sandwich quite the way New Orelans does.

The sandwich in question is, of course, the po-boy, and the celebration is the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival, which takes over five city blocks this Sunday.

Whether you think po-boys should be traditional (fried oysters), avant garde (seafood stuffed mushrooms) or just plain out there (alligator sausage), the po-boy preservation festival likely has some variety of fried-fish-on-a-roll you should be able to get on board with. There are also all kinds of live bands, art events and presentations about the history of the food. And to top it all off, the Golden Loaf award will bestowed on the one po-boy that's fit to rule them all.

Related Stories:
· New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival [Official Site]
· Mahoney's Po-Boy Shop [Jaunted]
· New Orleans travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival]

Cambodians Love Their Festivals, Especially This One

November 10, 2008 at 12:00 PM | 0 Comments

Yesterday, Cambodians rushed to the country’s capital, Phnom Penh, for the annual Water and Moon Festival, which starts today and lasts all week. Officials estimate that about four million Cambodians attend the event each year--in a country with a total population of about 14 million. That'd be like 100 million Americans showing up to watch the ball drop in Times Square next month.

The event isn’t a big deal, it is the deal, an annual Olympics of sorts where family members and neighbors compete in crew-style rowing competitions along the city’s Tonle Sap river.

In addition to the races, the festival features Cambodian carnival food: Replace candy apples with fried bananas and corn dogs with dried fish patties. It also offers spins on a Ferris wheel that rivals any rickety, life-threatening rides found in the county fairs of rural United States.

To escape the battle for chair space along the boardwalk, nightly fireworks are visible from the expat-stuffed Foreign Correspondents' Club. The traffic, the crowds, the sometimes-capsizing boats and the infectious good cheer among the Cambodian people make this one of the most overwhelming and stunning cultural experiences in Southeast Asia. We'll see you there.

Related Stories:
· Biggest Water Festival To Date Expected This Week [Phnom Penh Post]
· Embedded Travel Guide: Cambodia [Jaunted]

[Photo: calcpimp]

Get Your Caffeine Buzz on the Big Island

October 27, 2008 at 1:20 PM | 0 Comments

Hawaii's oldest food festival kicks off on November 7 and runs through November 16 in celebration of the island's famed crop. The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, as the name implies, also attempts to reveal more about the community and its heritage in addition to just serving up tasty beverages.

The International Lantern Parade starts things off on Friday evening. Groups take to Alii Drive dressed in ethnic costumes. On Sunday, practice your coffee picking abilities in a timed competition. Both experts and novices are welcome as you compete for prizes, including cash.

On Thursday, November 13, head over to the Keauhou Beach Resort to witness the final round of the Gevalia Kona Coffee Cupping Competition. Growers from up and down the coast eagerly anticipate who will be honored with the award for finest coffee. Finally, if your caffeine high is still going strong, wrap things up on the final festival weekend with the Kamehameha Schools Kona Coffee Grand Parade. Try you best to sit still as floats, costumes and even Miss Kona Coffee march through town.

Related Stories:
· Kona Coffee Cultural Festival [Official Site]
· Fall Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: lrargerich]

Fall Festivals Travel: Even More Fried Food on a Stick

October 24, 2008 at 2:17 PM | 0 Comments

The North Carolina State Fair kicked off on October 16 and runs all the way through October 26 with the world's largest (somewhat) portable roller coaster, Toxic Shock and fried everything-on-a-stick.

If the usual midway games, carnival rides and huge vegetables on steroids aren't enough, Jared the Subway Guy is also making an appearance as he hosts a wacky dance competition--Pants Dance Revolution. Hopefully he won't fall off the wagon and be tempted by the fried pecan pie.

Entertainment offerings on tap for this year include ubiquitous Food Network celebrity Bobby Flay along with more traditional music acts including Montgomery Gentry, Mario and Idol-fave Bucky Covington. If the fair's unorthodox timing doesn't jive with your calendar, you can still stay in touch with all its happenings. Follow along through its blog--Fried @ the NC State Fair--or through Twitter.

Related Stories:
· 2008 NC State Fair [Official Site]
· Fried Fair Fare: Mac & Cheese, Pecan Pie [N&O]
· Fall Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Onion Rings of the Future: baltimike]

Fall Festivals Travel: Plenty of Pumpkins

October 23, 2008 at 12:30 PM | 0 Comments

Even though they're a little early, the residents of New Hampshire are ready to celebrate Halloween this weekend at the Keene Pumpkin Festival.

Things start at 10 am on Saturday with a craft fair and all kinds of food, but the real fun starts at noon with the pumpkin seed spitting contest. More entertainment kicks off in the afternoon with musicians spread out across three stages. If you're up for more eating, or were impressed by Joey Chestnut's recent feat, then get a good spot for the pumpkin pie eating contest.

The day's events culminate when the official count of lighted jack-o-lanterns takes place. That's right, the whole festival is centered on trying to break the world record for the most candle-filled pumpkins in one place: Last year the festival got close with 25,644, but nearby Boston still holds the record with more than 30,000!

Related Stories:
· The Keene Pumpkin Festival [Official Site]
· Fall Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jmwests]

Fall Festivals Travel: Goodbye Pumpkin, Hello World Record

October 17, 2008 at 11:00 AM | 0 Comments

If you aren't excited for Halloween yet, then this just might do the trick. In just two weeks, the World Championship Punkin Chunkin gets underway in Delaware. Running through the holiday weekend, the festival finds a unique way to dispose of those extra pumpkins that weren't luckily enough to be carved.

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Wooly Worm Travel: Winter Is Coming... Or Is It?

October 17, 2008 at 10:30 AM | 0 Comments

Year after year, that flaky groundhog gets tons of press just for crawling out of his hole and telling us it's still winter. (In February. Real tough prediction there, pal.)

But way before Punxsutawney Phil wakes up, Banner Elk, North Carolina hosts the Wooly Worm Festival, in which a fuzzy black-and-brown worm tells us not just whether, but how long and harsh winter is going to be.

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Fall Food Travel: The Chitlin' Strut

October 16, 2008 at 1:30 PM | 0 Comments

It's getting to be the time of year when foodies start dreaming about what they're going to do with the Thanksgiving feast this year. But a very special set of foodies are more excited about the day after Turkey Day.

That's when Salley, South Carolina (pop. 410) hosts one of the most oddball fall food festivals of them all. The Chitlin' Strut celebrates all things chitlin', which, if you don't know, is a contraction of the word chitterlings, better known as fried pig intestines. Mmm...

But don't be turned off if celebrating 10,000 pounds of pig guts isn't your bucket of lard: The Chitlin' Strut has something for everyone, from the eardrum-shattering hawg-calling contest to the no-they're-not-kidding Chitlin' Strut Beauty Pageant.

Related Stories:
· Chitlin' Strut [Official Site]
· Fall Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Chitlin' Strut]

Oktoberfest Post-Mortem: The Five Things You Need to Know for '09

October 13, 2008 at 4:45 PM | 0 Comments

Oktoberfest 2008 has come and gone--in Germany at least--but the memories will live on forever. Thankfully, the vomit is easy enough to wash away.

This is a video from inside the Hofbrau tent at the storied Oktoberfest fair grounds in Munich. You can watch "Beer Fest" as many times as you like but nothing, we repeat, nothing can prepare you for the real Oktoberfest.

So to make it easier, we've put together this handy list of rules and tips to remember for Oktoberfest 2009.

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Oregon Is for Beer Lovers

October 13, 2008 at 10:30 AM | 0 Comments

While the attraction for most ale-heads at this weekend's Great American Beer Festival was the 1,800-plus brew list, the festival's not just about getting sloshed: There are also a bevy of awards handed out, and they can reap serious dividends for small breweries.

The prestigious awards span 75 categories, from best fruit or vegetable beer to best coffee flavored beer. The big winner this year: Oregon's hop-heavy breweries, who walked across the podium in Denver again and again. The Beaver State beat out almost all of its larger competitors by taking home nine gold medals and 19 overall.

For those looking to get a taste of just what these Oregonian brewers have going on, the state's Fresh Hop Beer Tastivals offer a chance, coming up in Portland on October 18 and in Eugene on October 25.

Related Stories:
· 2008 GABF Winners [Official Site]
· 2008 Fresh Hop Beer Tastivals [Official Site]
· Fall Travel: Say "Scumps" at the Great American Beer Festival [Jaunted]

[Photo: inajeep]

Fall Festivals: Brooklyn Hoe-Down

October 9, 2008 at 11:00 AM | 0 Comments

Fall is harvest time in America's farmland, and, if you look closely enough, in the cities too. Brooklyn, which probably isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think "harvest," has a fall food festival of its own this weekend.

The Gowanus Harvest Festival will bring locally-grown veggies, potato sack races, pony rides and other down-home excitement to the banks of the (not-so) scenic Gowanus Canal. Of course, this is still Brooklyn, so there will be live indie rock and local microwbrews on hand as well. Obviously.

The festival, which takes place Saturday, October 11, will be held at outdoor performance space The Yard.

Related Stories:
· The Yard [Official Site]
· Fall Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Gowanus Harvest Festival]

Pack Your Axe Travel: Anguilla's Tranquility Jazz Festival

October 6, 2008 at 2:00 PM | 0 Comments

If you love jazz but prefer sandy tropical beaches to smoky underground clubs, pack your bags for Anguilla's Tranquility Jazz Festival, celebrating its sixth year and taking place November 6-9 on the island.

Venues like the Cuisinart Hotel, Temenos Golf Club and Johnnos will host performances by jazz greats such as Patti Austin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Arturo Sandoval and Christian Scott by day and by night.

Individual performance tickets range between free and $50, but check here for festival-specific travel packages that include airfare on American Airlines, performance tickets and a range of hotel options.

Related Stories:
· Tranquility Jazz Festival [Official Site]
· Datebook: Anguilla [NYT]
· A NOLA National Park? It's All About Your State of Mind [Jaunted]

[Photo of the 2007 event: Tranquility Jazz Festival]