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Fest Comes On Fast

Tribune photo by FRED BELLET

Carmen Reyes of Dade City, an employee of Kumquat Growers, Inc. works on packing kumquats as visitors watch the process. Kumquat Growers Inc. held an open house Thursday as part of a preview to Saturday's Dade City Kumquat Festival.

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By LAURA KINSLER

lkiinsler@tampatrib.com

Published: January 30, 2009

DADE CITY - It's the biggest tourist event of the year and it brings vendors and fans from across the country.

No, it's not the Super Bowl. The 12th annual Kumquat Festival celebrates small-town Florida as much as it honors the tiny, tangy fruit.

The festival scored a coup by making it on the Super Bowl Host Committee's event listings, but it's no velvet rope and limo crowd. The festival's 30,000 visitors will probably be more interested in antiques, quilts, country music and refrigerator pie.

The tiny community of St. Joseph, just outside Dade City, is unofficially known as the "kumquat capital of the world" and is a major producer of the fruit, which is harvested here between November and March.

The festival, timed to coincide with the height of the winter tourist season, also gives the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce a chance to showcase east Pasco County to visitors.

The festival's major events started Thursday with a two-day open house at the Kumquat Growers packinghouse in St. Joseph, where the kumquats are taken after harvest for packing and shipping. The free open house continues today and includes tours of the groves and operations beginning at 10 a.m.

Celebrated gardener Roger Swain, who hosted "Victory Garden" on PBS for 15 years, is scheduled to speak at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. today. Swain, a kumquat enthusiast, has used local appearances, television broadcasts and magazine articles to promote the fruit.

"We've got a lot of new products this year," grower Greg Gude said. "We're going to be selling trees for the first time in years."

Gude said he's always brainstorming new ideas for the citrus. This year he introduced a spicy kumquat salsa and a marinade.

"You can take the fruit itself and throw it on the barbecue," he said. "It's like wood chips. It will give a citrus flavor to whatever meat you're grilling."

The packinghouse is at 31647 Gude Road, about 8 miles west of downtown Dade City. For information, go to www.kumquatgrowers.com or call (352) 588-0544.

Saturday, organizers will host a free street fair in downtown Dade City from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and this year it's bigger than ever.

"We've opened a new section to allow more booths," said Nita Beckwith, executive director of the chamber. Vendors and sponsors, including Swain, will man more than 400 booths with cooking demonstrations, food products and crafts for sale.

The festival will include musical acts, a car and truck show, a quilting exhibit and a fashion show. For information, call (352) 567-3769.

Parking near downtown will be crowded, but a free shuttle service will be offered from a Ford dealership parking lot on the U.S. 98 Bypass and at the Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52.

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 779-4617.

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