Arkport Park
Winter gets a send off..... seasonal festival!
By Jason Jordan
The Spectator
Posted Feb. 29, 2016 at 12:58 PM
ARKPORT -- Spirits for imbibing and spirits for brightening were prevailing themes as the passing of another season was honored Saturday afternoon with the first annual Winter Festival. Jenkinsī Farm Market and Deli, famously nestled in the "mucklands" on Route 36 continued their trend of holding seasonal festivals in hopes of inspiring the community to get out of their homes and enjoy offerings to the max before itīs gone for another year. "Weīre trying to diversify, and itīs really nice to give the community something to do. A lot of people complain there isnīt anything to do, but we have a lot of local businesses that provide things to do and we wanted to showcase that," said Jenkinsī co-owner CJ FitzPatrick.
Tastings were held by local breweries, cideries and
wineries; Railhead Brewing Company of Hornell, Cider Creek Hard Cider of Canisteo, and
Wild Brute Winery of Arkport.
A chili cook-off was also a treasured highlight of the Winter Festival. Whatīs better to
ward off the winter chill than a cup of homemade chili? Participants included a number of
local businesses, including the Farm Market and Deli, The Evening Tribune, Jackīs
Gaslight in Dansville, and Steveīs Place in Wayland. "We had some real serious contenders
here for the cook-off. These guys are top notch," FitzPatrick.
Shane FitzPatrick, also co-owner of the business, was
actively engaged in the chili battle, defending the title he won with employee Jimmy
McLaughlin at the Fall Festival in October.
"Thereīs definitely a rivalry from the Fall Harvest Festival and our in-house chili
cook-off," CJ FitzPatrick, who also had chili entered in the contest, said. "It just
depends on peopleīs taste," he said. The winning chili was not named before press time on
Saturday. FitzPatrick said the event was purposefully aimed to build relationships among
local businesses who might compete on a day to day basis.
"All these guys are local, so the better they do, the better I can do because it brings business into the area and builds alliances between everyone," he said. "This is how it should be, local businesses working together to make a living, and I think thatīs the coolest part of all of this," he continued. The local vendors also appreciated the chance to show off their products to the local market in a unique setting. "Itīs a great idea, and weīre very appreciative that they asked us to come in," said Mike McCumiskey of Railhead Brewing Company.
Source: reprint 2/29/2016 Evening Tribune
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