Food lovers will journey to the Hamlet of Markerville for a culinary extravaganza this weekend.
The Taste of Markerville is Saturday, giving people the chance to try local foods all afternoon.
Going into its fifth year, the event has residents talking, said Markerville Creamery manager Brooke Henrikson.
“It’s definitely exciting. I can’t wait for Saturday because the hamlet is just buzzing with people and there’s great things to sip and sample,” Henrikson said.
The day starts at noon with the Spruce View Farmers Market, which has new and returning vendors from the area. There will also be a barbecue in the Creamery Courtyard at 114 Creamery Way, where you can feast on burgers, sausages and everything else they have to offer.
At 4 p.m. the barbecue and farmers market close, but that’s hardly the end of the day. Guests will have the chance to sample all kinds of local foods during ‘Appy Hour between 4 and 6 p.m.
Afterwards there will be a nine-course meal at the Long Table Dinner - the dinner is sold out. Innisfail’s Matt Burton will be chef of the dinner for the second year.
The recent hail affected some local farmers’ produce, so they had to go a little further for vegetables than expected, Henrikson said. Despite that there is still a lot of local foods to be found, she added.
The event “is as local as we can possibly get,” she said. “People here are very excited because they really enjoy the day. It showcases those locals in our community.”
The weather has been a bit of a hinderance on the event in the past, as the last few Long Table Dinners were cancelled due to stormy weather. It doesn’t seem like that will be an issue this year, Henrikson said.
“Saturday is supposed to be a beautiful day, so we have our fingers crossed that it’ll stay nice.”
Last year about 1,300 people cam out to the event. There’s no reason to think that number won’t go up, Henrikson said.
“We were super busy last year,” she said. “This is our fifth year of doing it and it’s slowly grown and becoming more and more popular.”
The team at the Markerville Creamery has been planning this event since last year’s ended. It’s exciting to see all the hard work finally coming together for Saturday’s event, Henrikson said.
More information, including directions, can be found at www.tasteofmarkerville.com.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com