Garlic Festival brings flavor to Binghamton
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- At the 7th annual Garlic Festival it was all about bad breath and a bit of fun.
The two day event was sponsored by the American Civic Association (ACA) and brought out over 3,000 people and 35 vendors to Front Street.
So how did Binghamton come to have its own haute halitosis?
"Several years ago our board president went to Gilroy, California, the garlic capital of the world, and she came back with the idea. Everyone was skeptical, but we tried it and it's been a tremendous success," said Fred Trzcinski, Executive Director of the American Civic Association
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Cuisine from around the world was on display from Poland, Italy, Asia and the Middle East, heavily seasoned with garlic, of course.
Despite the fear of bad breath, most people seemed pleased with the garlic-themed activities.
"It's the Triple Cities, it's a beautiful day out, personally I've never been to the Civic Center before, and I'm just enjoying the festivities," said Tim Houlihan, a self-proclaimed garlic enthusiast.
The event drew in young and old. So what's the young's favorite garlic-themed food?
"I don't know, neither do I, no clue, me neither," proclaimed a group of young girls from the Helene Yelverton Dance Studio who were performing at the festival.
The Garlic Festival had a few things one might expect: Some bad breath and some really strong breath mints. But there were also a few things you wouldn't expect: Some really good dancing and some interesting food, including garlic-flavored ice cream.
The festival is the ACA's main fundraiser and also helps serve some of their nonmonetary goals, namely tolerance, respect and understanding for other cultures.
This year's festival brought in over $10,000 for the ACA. Organizers said they plan to continue the festivities next year.