Revelstoke locals flock to the annual Garlic Festival regardless of the weather

The sixth annual Revelstoke Garlic Festival, hosted and organized by Track Street Growers, was the place to be this soggy September Sunday.

Popular with both kids. grownups, and several dogs alike, this years festival boasted more vendors (food and goods/art alike), numerous music groups performing on the front stairs, a puppet show by local artist Anna Fin, chicken bingo, and the first annual hot pepper eating contest.

By lunch, over 400 people had entered the grounds. Though the final numbers are not in, the flow and amount of people in the venue felt festive but not overwhelming.

The pepper eating contest, which went to six rounds, was won by Brandon Potter, who can clearly take the heat. Brandon on half of the donations collected, the other half going to the Local Food Initiative. In a lovely show of goodwill, Brandon donated his winnings back to the LFI, bringing the donation to $135.

The peppers used in the contest, all grown by Sarah and Stu of Track Street Growers, included the first round of Serrano, a second round of Charapita, third round of White Habenero and fourth round of Paper Lantern. Of the five competitors, four continued on to eating yellow scorpion and the final round, a speed round, meant eating a Cheiro Roxa.