The Winona Peach Festival Is Here!

The Winona Peach Festival opened its doors to the public on Friday at Winona Park from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm.  The event which opened with a big bang and celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year was packed on its first day, with people coming from Hamilton, Stoney Creek and surrounding areas.

The festival which runs from Friday August 25^th to Sunday 27^th is not just about peaches and fruits.  This is a great family-event where people get to enjoy themselves through an assortment of activities such as live music, exhibits, entertainment, arts and craft.

There are also various contests, amusement and pony rides for kids, not forgetting the most favoured peach-themed desserts and home-made delicacies that people come here for, annually.

Shuttle Bus

For those wishing to visit the Winona Peach Festival (WPF), you don’t have to worry about a long drive or parking.  There is a free Shuttle Bus service from Eastgate Square Transit Terminal in Stoney Creek that runs every 12 minutes.

The pick-up and drop-off point is at the Stoney Creek Route #58 Bus Stop.

While the City of Hamilton does offer an operating schedule for the duration of the festival, it is advisable to check with HSR (Hamilton Street Railway), should one require further details.

To understand the importance of the Peach Festival to the local Hamilton community, one needs to only look at the long queues for the shuttle bus at Eastgate Square Bus Terminal.  The long twisted line comprised of a mixture of people of different ages and backgrounds – from seniors to toddlers, mothers, teens and families.

The vibrancy in the air was enough to indicate the excitement people had of finally being able to go to their favourite festival after waiting a solid 12 months for this moment to arrive.

The long bus queue also featured a combination of newbies who are here to explore and experience the festival for the first time and those festival veterans who return each year to something familiar to them and that has been a part of their lives.

Whatever one may think of the festival goers, at least they have one thing in common, the love for the event and another chance to once taste that delicious, creamy Peach Sundae one more time!

Local Event, Local Produce

When one takes the time to move around, mingle and talk to the participating vendors, it is unsurprising to note that some participants are local producers who have been with the event from inception. For these folks, it is more than just an annual event that others only come to see, go home and then and forget about it until another 12 months later.

For these hard working people, it is a generational family affair and a tradition that continues to be maintained with pride to this day.

“Our family has been part of the Peach Festival for a very, very long time,” said Lindsay Puddicombe who seemed to be in charge of the family stand.

“We love Peach Festival because it shows off all the local stuff and we get to bring our fruit for everybody to enjoy.”  Puddicombe was there with her family, the next generation that will be the one to continue the family tradition.

Reknowned photographer, Robert hard Wells, is an exhibitor and a veteran participant of the Festival. “I’ve been coming to the Winona Peach Festival for about 15 years with exhibits. It’s a great family event with so much to do for families,” he said, with glimpses of his signature work visible behind him.

“Family is what our business is all about that’s why I like presenting here,” he added, affirming the values and sentiments heard from other veteran participants.  Like many others interviewed for this piece, he was surprised at the low publicity and coverage this event has been getting or, lacking thereof.

Others like Donna Bunton who has been participating for at least 10 years attribute their continued participation to the people and overall environment.   The “people are so friendly,” said Bunton, adding that her company does “very, very well in this event.”

Life’s A Peach Farm from Beamsville that has long supported this event for years, also had this to say, “We’ve been coming to the Peach Festival for 15 years.”

When asked about the event, Lois Redden of PartyLite who is not a local producer but proud supporter of local products had nothing but praise for the annual event. To her, the Winona Peach Festival has come to signify the importance of supporting local producers and local produce.

“I have been coming to the Winona Peach Festival for about 6 years. It’s the best place to come and see all of the vendors and the product,” she said.  “The food is phenomenal along with the peach Sundaes. It’s a great place to come; it’s a great weekend.”

Together with veteran participants of the Peach Festival, there were also quite a number of newbies showcasing their products and/or services.  TeamTables, a first-time participant and vendor is showcasing a variety of sports merchandise including unique TeamTables once featured on Dragons Den in March.

“It’s great to have a crowd out here.  We came because we knew it would be a great crowd,” said Paul Safranyos, pointing to some of his unique sports merchandise on display.

By 7:00 pm the park was fully packed with hardly any room to move.  If the endless traffic of visitors continues at this rate, organizers of the event may well start considering a new venue for the coming years that will accommodate this type of crowd.

Food Vendors

For food lovers with an adventurous palate, the Winona Peach Festival is the perfect place to be.  The Food Court is the most popular place littered with different types of food trucks whose individual sights and smells can tempt even the most discerning of palates.

There is so much going on within a small space that you have to jostle and wait in line to evenly get that taste you have been waiting for, for a year.

On the food side, there is your typical Canadian-American slash English food such as hot dogs, fries, ribs, wings, burgers, nuggets and pies.  If that isn’t your type, you can opt for something different.  You could choose to explore and enjoy the taste of Greece, Croatia and a bit of some Italian food or pizza.

If not, you could get yourself some salsa, a bit of veggies and roasted potato skins.  Whatever your fancy for food, you will find something.

However, there is one cardinal sin that no visitor to the festival should ever commit: to come and go without buying or sampling the local favourite dessert – the Peach Sundae.

Next time when you come to the Winona Peach Festival, remember that your experience will amount to nothing if you do not take the time to wait in the long queue (worth it!) to finally get to sample and taste the local favourite dessert, the Peach Sundae.

Security

Every visiting or planning to visit the festival this weekend should feel comfortable knowing that there are Police Officers always close by ready to assist in any possible manner.  You can enjoy the day out with your loved ones knowing that you are safe and that help is only a request away if you need it.

There are still two more days left to join the celebration but most importantly, to support local producers and their produce grown in Ontario.

 

 

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