“They Made It and They Did Come”
By Scott Heiner
A year ago, my column was entitled “If You Make it, They Will Come,” a line from the Kevin Costner movie “Field of Dreams.” I compared the movie to the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest. They made the festival and the cisco and people surely did come!
It happened again this year; the event was largely based on food, and if there’s food, I’m definitely interested.
Friday night was the “Monster Taste of Bear Lake” with many of the local establishments sharing samples of their popular dishes. We arrived a little late and many of the offerings were gone, but still I wasn’t disappointed.
The next morning was the Cisco Disco on the east shore of the lake. Again, they had a cisco, scone and French fry breakfast spearheaded by our famous fish expert, Scott Tolentino. I believe the cisco tasted even better this year than last year. I was delighted to read Bryce Nelson’s column last week describing the founding of the event and the origin of the term “Cisco Disco.” What a terrific tradition.
I never was any good at catching fish, but I do like to eat them. Next year, if I can get Scott to coach me, I think I’ll try my hand at catching some of the little critters.
Then, there’s the Monster Chili Cook-off. I’m a real chili lover and really enjoyed trying the various entries. There’s something about beans that really warms the cockles of my heart stomach. Although I’m not much of a cook, I do have a unique chili recipe of my own that has met with some renown. Maybe I’ll enter it sometime and see how it does.
Yes, festivals and food certainly go hand in hand. There is always a wonderful variety of foods at every festival. Some of my favorites are:
• Nihon Matsuri Japan Festival in April
• Highland Games and Scottish Festival in June
• Our own Bear Lake Raspberry Days in August
• Wasatch International Food Festival every August.
• SLC Greek Festival in September
Then there are the State or County Fairs; where else can you get deep fried green Jell-O, key lime pie, pickles, insects or Twinkies? How about bacon-wrapped corndogs, cinnamon buns or Reese’s peanut butter cups?
Long live (and eat at) Festivals! If you make them, they will come!
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