Organizers of the 2024 Webster Garlic Fest, held Sept. 7 and 8 at the Webster Recreation Center, report that the event was a great success.
The annual event attracted about 4,200 visitors, almost 1,500 more than last year, despite the fact that cool temperatures, rain and wind threatened to put a damper on the festivities both days. The festival featured 140 garlic, food and craft vendors, several food trucks and a balloon artist, plus a 70-year old tortoise, alpacas and baby goats in pajamas, all for the petting.
Proceeds from the Garlic Fest benefit three local organizations:
- the Blue Star Mothers ROC — moms in the Rochester area who now have or have had sons and daughters serving in the United States military. The Blue Star Mothers will use their portion of the proceeds to prepare 266 care packages, which will be shipped out in November to our locally deployed service members. (If you’d like to donate to these care packages, please visit the Mothers’ Amazon.com wish list.) The funds will also help purchase items for the group’s annual Baby Shower for Military Families in April.
- Gold Star Mothers of Rochester — who have lost an immediate family member in active duty — who will be providing complete Thanksgiving dinners to local military family members and veterans in need in our community.
- Wreaths Across America — a nonprofit organization whose mission is to place a wreath on the grave of every veteran in the country. Webster will be participating in this effort for the third year on National Wreath Day, Saturday Dec. 14. In just two years, Webster has already become one of the best-represented towns in the nation, ranking in the top 4% in the country. Organizers hope to have an equally strong effort this year, with plans to honor 2,200 veterans in Webster Union, Webster Rural, Union Hill and Holy Trinity cemeteries. Proceeds from the Garlic Fest will sponsor about 1,000 of those wreaths.
One thousand wreaths sponsored by the Garlic Fest is good start, but clearly many more are needed. If you’d like to sponsor one, click here. They’re just $17 each and $5 of that cost will go to the Blue Star Mothers for their care packages. (To read about last Wreath Day, click here, and stay tuned for more information about this year’s event.)
Plans are already underway for next year’s Webster Garlic Fest. It’s been scheduled for Sept. 6 to 7 at the Recreation Center, and vendors are already lining up to be a part of it. Organizers want to add more family activities, and probably a second shuttle bus to make parking even easier.
Thanks to the Webster Garlic Fest, our little town is becoming known as garlic central for our part of the state. Be sure not to miss it next year.
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(posted 9/26/2024)
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