JULY 2016 .... Barrie, Through The Seasons
BARRIE THROUGH THE SEASONS JULY 2016
What is it about a grill, the smoky scent of food cooking
outside that makes folks salivate and head to a picnic table, plates in hand?
Barrie recently hosted another fabulous summer event; the
social calendar in our city is filled with wonderful things to do! While the
name was changed to the ‘Downtown Barrie Craft Beer and BBQ Festival’, those
feasting and sipping on suds toasted it as a very successful rib fest and
that’s what matters.
As a good rib rub or marinade flavours the meat before
grilling, this festival, like any good collaboration contained all the
necessary ingredients for a perfect blend.
Waterfront setting, check, local craft beers, check, prize
winning BBQ chicken, ribs, sausage, and pulled pork, check, hungry crowd of
enthusiastic visitors and locals, check, sponsors, music and some truly witty
signage to send you in the right direction, check, check, check!
Add in the sides of
beans, coleslaw and cornbread, now you have a tasty meal.
Food trucks supplied all the extras, wild twisty potatoes or
corn on the cob was available too.
I take it the BIA special ordered sunshine and picturesque
sunsets, not sure who was in charge of the blustery wind though.
Local love was out in full force supporting the joint
venture of Jessi from J’adore and Lawrence of the Butcher Shop with their new
Fire and Ice food truck. Our dessert was a specialty known as the Canadian,
topped with a maple cookie.
Now I will confess that I am not a beer drinker, but the DD,
designated drinker, decided to whet her whistle with a premium apple cider from
Thornbury Beverage Company and found it very refreshing.
I was impressed with the creativity of the signage, booth
displays and educational opportunities available at the event. Visitors learnt about
the process of beer making, from the microphone assisted Brewmaster sessions presented
to the assembled crowds or in one on one conversation that took place at every
booth.
There was a thirst for information!
The Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery on Dunlop Street was visible
from the Heritage Park festival site. With Barnstormer Brewing Company and
Redline Brewhouse here too, Barrie craft beers were well represented.
The festival welcomed vendors from every direction;
Sidelaunch Brewing Company and Northwinds Brewery are from Collingwood, heading
north you will find Sawdust City Brewing Co. in Gravenhurst, and Muskoka
Brewery in Bracebridge, while south to Toronto is the home of the Amsterdam Brewing
Co.
Each craft brewery had their own unique branding complete
with funky faucet handles, all the better for pulling samples or full size
bevy’s for guests to enjoy.
It was a hot day, perfect for sampling!
The food side is smoking hot; sides of ribs mopped with
sauce then chopped to order, sing song voices holler out orders with a side of
twang, the occasional bell rings in an enthusiastic gesture of
appreciation.
We sampled a few sauces and checked the grills, Silver
Bullet was the winning flavour for us, with no MSG and gluten free too! We took our feast of ribs, chicken, beans,
coleslaw and a serving of cornbread home to enjoy as picnic tables were filled
with families enjoying their meals.
A local dentist office was on site providing dental floss
samples, assuring everyone left with fresh smiles!
Another great downtown festival flavoured the summer of
2016.
Summer is now at midpoint, how quickly has that happened?
Erin Corcoran Re/Max Chay Realty Inc. SalesRepresentative and enthusiastic owner operator of Barrie’s Simcoe County ShopLocal dips her paddle in Kempenfelt Bay, as a team member in the Barrie DragonBoat Festival. Check it out next month in
my August review!
Written by: http://www.penelopejmorrow.com/
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