THE Winter Harvest Festival next month expects to welcome foodies from near and far as the Eat Local signature event gears up for the biggest year ever.
Organisers promise more than 70 local food and beverage stalls, celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, live music, rides, a tractor pulling competition and even a local food-themed fashion parade.
The signature event will go from 10am to 4pm on July 6 at the Aratula Community Sports Complex.
Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen said it promised to be a fitting finale to Scenic Rim Eat Local Week, which goes from 29 June to 7 July.
"Every year, the Winter Harvest Festival has gone from strength to strength - last year we welcomed more than 14,000 people to the Scenic Rim on that one day alone - and this year we're gearing up for our biggest and best yet," he said.
"We'll have locals there selling everything from local vegetables to eggs, cheese, olives, relishes, jams, honey, camel milk products, carrot ice-cream, beer and wine.
"There'll be usual favourites like the celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, live music, loads of kids rides, adventures like the hay maze, Kalfresh Carrot Central, face painting and free kids corner activities and of course, the world famous Kalbar and District Bendigo Community Bank Tractor Pulling competition.
"And for the very first time in Winter Harvest Festival history we'll have a food-themed Fashions on the Field, so I encourage everybody, young and old, to literally wear their love of local food on their sleeve and compete for some great prizes."
Winter Harvest Festival tickets cost $10 per for adults and kids under 12 get in free.
Tickets can be purchased on the day at the gate or online at eatlocalweek.com.au/winter-harvest-
festival
Features of the Winter Harvest Festival include:
- The famous Kalbar and District Bendigo Community Bank Tractor Pulling competition
- Local musicians Ross Weber and Dilly performing live all day
- Celebrity cooking demonstrations with Ben Ungermann (Master Chef 2017 runner-up), Ash Martin (Spicers Hidden Vale), Glen Barratt (Wild Canary) and Richard Ousby, hosted by Queensland's leading food authority and Scenic Rim Regional Food Ambassador Alison Alexander
- Face painting and activities for the kids
- 70 market stalls and seven coffee stalls
- Local beef, pork and lamb, including locally raised beef from The Butcher Co, Running Creek Beef & Fassifern Valley Foods.
- Five ice-cream and gelato vendors - Ungermann Brothers, Lemon Lovers Gelato, Summer Land Camel Farm's gelato, Moffatt Fresh Produce carrot ice-cream and Naughty Little Kids goat's milk gelato.
- Cheese made from sheep, camel, goat and cow's milk, from Summer Land Camel Farm, Towri Sheep Cheese, Naughty Little Kids and Pure Artisan Cheese.
- Valley Pride Produce, Moffatt Fresh Produce and Peak Veggie Patch all selling fresh, locally picked fruit and vegetables.
- Sample Scenic Rim craft beers from Scenic Rim Brewery (including their brand-new beer the Beauy & Blue Spiced Pumpkin Ale), Fortitude Brewery and 4Hearts Brewing drops including the famous Wabbit Saison Carrot Beer.
- Wines from O'Reilly's Canungra Valley Vineyards, The Overflow Estate 1895, Sarabah Estate Winery and Witches Falls Winery.
- Fresh CARROT JUICE from Moffatt Fresh Produce
- 2m8's BBQ & VUE Events will be selling smoked meats, including brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs plus plenty of authentic local flavours. There'll even be a vegetarian option - pulled jackfruit
- Scandinavian sweets and pastries from local food artisan Flemming Jakobsen at the Nordic Cuisine food truck
- Woodfired pizzas, topped with local Scenic Rim ingredients.
- Arthur Clive's Bakery Café's cakes, slices, pies and bread
- Native bush ingredients grown on Tamborine Mountain by Wilde Foods
- A range of gluten-free and vegetarian food options will also be on offer
- Fashion - for the first time the Winter Harvest Festival will feature Fashions on the Field! Entrants should come dressed in food-inspired outfits, with a nod to Scenic Rim local food and produce.
