 |
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
(800) 289-2388 A Special Feature of Southwest Illinois News |
Archived stories:
by Betty Magrath © 2003, Southwest Illinois News COLLINSVILLE, (SWI-News.com), June 8, 2003 - A small community along Route 66 holds the distinction of growing nearly 60 percent of the world's horseradish root. To celebrate the tangy flavor of the fleshy root and create national awareness, Collinsville has held a summer festival since 1988. This year, the 16th Annual International Horseradish Festival was a two-day event, June 7 - 8, featuring a variety of activities including a horseradish toss, the crowning of a Little Miss Horseradish Festival, a Bloody Mary-making competition, root sacking contest, arts & craft fair, recipe contest, 5K run, pony rides, train rides, live entertainment and food. Curious visitors gathered at the horseradish tent to learn more about the many interesting uses of horseradish from the local farmers. Festival-goers took the opportunity to sample products from the fresh ground version to cranberry horseradish jelly. After discovering that the tangy flavor was quite enjoyable, many visitors left the festival with roots, recipes and a bit of history on the horseradish.
by Betty Magrath The tantalizing smell of Italian cooking was everywhere. Numerous food booths between Seminary St. and Morrison Ave. featured an array of Italian pork, chicken, sausage and beef sandwiches, sazzisa, pepperoni bread, cannoli, rotini, ravioli and mostaccioli. Caramel apples, spumoni, funnel cakes, cheesecake and cotton candy were also available.
"It was a tough decision for us to make to have this festival, especially with the whole country feeling terrible about what happened on Tuesday," Shaw said. "At the same time, we decided that if we are going forward with it, we have to make it worthwhile and give everybody a chance to feel good. Life has to go on," he observed. Shaw stated that the Italian Fest is giving 100 percent of the profits to the Disaster Relief Fund. "This is money that would normally go to our scholarship fund and into our special projects fund. We have a lot of booths here that are doing the same thing. Yesterday, the firemen collected almost $5,000," stated Shaw. Three stages were set up for ongoing entertainment. On Saturday afternoon, the energetic sounds of the Faith Family Choir rocked the Roma Stage bringing smiles to many faces. At various times throughout the fest, the music of Sh-Boom playing rock 'n' roll oldies, mixed with the big band notes of the Joey James Orchestra and the Uncle Albert band jamming with their blues. The program also featured an appearance by accordionist Amy Jo Sawyer. The antics of Harvey the Juggler tossing balls and other items was enjoyed by young and old alike. A bocce ball tournament, grape stomps, face painting, games booths and Hanna's pony rides provided wonderful opportunities for families to play together.  Wineries HotelsReturn to Southwest Illinois News  
Southwest Illinois News &
Saint Louis Front Page are owned and maintained by
the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com
All rights reserved world wide
© 1996 - 2013 Moore Design Group. |
   STL Front Page  Restaurant Guide  Advertising Information  Sports Kids Southwest Illinois News is designed & hosted by the Moore Design Group. How To Reach: Southwest Illinois News 3832 S. Broadway Street St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com |
