(Photo by Beth Blis)
The Hudson Valley Garlic Festival will be held Sept. 28-29. Hours are 10-6 on Saturday at 10-5 on Sunday. Admission is $10. The festival includes: a Garlic Marketplace, with tons of gourmet garlic, The Food Alley, featuring garlic-enhanced foods like sausage, pulled pork, garlic soup, garlic green beans, and even garlic ice cream. There’s constant entertainment, bluegrass, Cajun, ragtime, Irish music, German music and cooking demonstrations by renowned chefs of the Hudson Valley. Instructive garlic growing and braiding talks, including members of the Garlic Seed Foundation. An Arts and Crafts area featuring over 80 vendors. A Children’s Tent with activities for the younger kids and a climbing wall for older children.
Traffic notice:
There will be traffic restrictions, road closures and parking regulations in place at Cantine Veterans Memorial Complex before, during and after the Garlic Festival Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28–29. Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 25, traffic will be restricted and/or road closures will take place on Bob Moser Dr., Pavilion St. and Court Drive. No through traffic will be allowed. On Friday, Sept. 27, traffic onto Bob Moser Dr., Pavilion St. and Court Drive will be restricted to those involved with Garlic Festival set-up and related deliveries, along with all permit holders, who are to use the assigned gate dictated on their permit. No through traffic will be allowed. On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28–29, permit holders only will be allowed to access the complex through the assigned gate dictated by their permit. All permits must be affixed to vehicles. All permit holders must have vehicles either behind assigned booth or in assigned vendor parking no later than 8:45 a.m. Gates will be secured at that time. Additional traffic restrictions and/or patterns may be instituted on Washington Ave. Ext., along with adjacent streets during the festival. Handicapped parking during the festival will be in Parking Lot A, with entrance or exit from Washington Ave. Gate W-6.
On Monday, Sept. 30 and Tuesday, Oct. 1, there will be traffic restrictions and/or road closures on Bob Moser Dr., Pavilion St. and Court Dr. No through traffic during this time frame.
During all above time frames, Saugerties High School students who use the complex for school parking will park in Parking Lot A or the South Ice Arena Parking Lot on school days prior to and after Garlic Weekend.
Those who have purchased premium preferred parking tickets are to use Gate W-7, which is the north Ice Arena Gate off of Washington Ave. Premium preferred parking is the only onsite parking available. A limited number of tickets are still available.
All other public parking, which is free, is located in offsite satellite parking lots at High School Blue Parking and HITS White, Red, Yellow and Orange parking areas.
For all those using the Ice Arena during Garlic Festival, be advised the only means of entrance or exit will be the North Ice Arena Gate (W7) located to the north of the Main Gate (W6). A W-7 permit is also needed, which can be obtained through the Ice Arena office. Those without this permit will be directed into either the high school or HITS parking lots. Once this area fills, overflow will be directed to the HITS parking areas. Motorists are advised to expect delays on NY State Routes 9W, 212, 32 and on the New York State Thruway (I-87). For more information, visit www.511ny.org or https://hvgf.org, email parksinfo@saugerties.ny.us or call (845) 246-5890 ext. 310.
