First annual Peekskill Garlic Festival is full of food, fun and gardens

The Garlic Festival will visit four unique public farms and gardens throughout the city

By Dave Mueller

November 14, 2024

Though Halloween just ended, many in Peekskill worry about vampires that only come out at night. However, the citizens of Peekskill should never fear, for there will be no Fangsgiving anytime soon here in Peekskill for Count Dracula or any of his vampire friends thanks in part to the The Peekskill City School District and its students, Regeneration Farm, The Garden Club of Peekskill, Peekskill100, and Lise Prown of Graphic Design who have created the First Annual Peekskill Garlic Festival 2024.

All vampire jokes aside, the first annual Peekskill Garlic Festival is a celebration of land and community, where the public is invited to visit four unique public school and community gardens in Peekskill, all within 1.5 miles. The Peekskill Garlic Festival is set to take place this Saturday, November 16th, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The first annual Garlic Festival is a headline event spearheaded by community organizations to bring attention to the Land Stewardship Project here in the City. It is an opportunity to meet neighbors, leave the car behind if you wish, and take advantage of the walkability of Peekskill and connect with nature.

The Peekskill Garlic Festival Farms and Gardens

The first garden that attendees will visit is the Woodside School Garden which was built in 2019 as the Herald reported. Between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. attendees will visit the Woodside garden, located behind the school, where they will be welcomed, enjoy a moment of mindfulness and have fun creating nature crafts and learning seed saving techniques. They will also have the opportunity to take part in a scavenger hunt and discover the kitchen and garden with fiddleheads.

Children at the Woodside Garden, planting the seeds of butternut squash. The butternut squash will fill in once the garlic comes out, which is in July. Besides snapping the garlic scapes off of the plants so that the plant can put all the energy into making a big bulb, this is one of the last garden activities they do before their summer vacation. Students plant the garlic in November. The garlic for this Festival was all grown at Woodside School.
Photo Credit: Peekskill Land Stewardship Program

The second garden that attendees will visit is at the Peekskill Middle School Garden on the Washington Street side of the school. Between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. visitors will not only get the opportunity to plant garlic, but they will also have the opportunity create herb bundles, learn how to compost, discover another kitchen delicacy, and see an original play performed by the Antonia Arts Wiz Kids.

The third garden attendees will visit is at the PETALS Garden on Central Avenue behind the Police Station and across from the art lofts. From 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. attendees of the Garlic Festival will have the opportunity to not only visit the Peekskill Garden Clubs garden full of roses, but also get the opportunity to help plant bulbs, write a song and enjoy some delicious garlic treats. In addition, visitors also have the opportunity to visit one of Peekskill’s newest parklets and sculptures adjacent to the PETALS Garden. There, visitors can view the McGregor Brook waterfall, the ceramic roses growing out of concrete, and the “Wind Farm” sculptures by Scott Goss. Wind Farm is a group of five larger-than-life colorful pinwheels that spin and light up as part of “Enlighten Peekskill” and paid for through the DRI grant as reported by the Herald.

The Petals Garden on Central Avenue. Photo Credit: Sally Bentley

The fourth and final garden attendees of the Peekskill Garlic Festival 2024 will visit is the Regeneration Farm located at Lepore Park and next to Oakside School. Between 1:15 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., the Wiz Kids will perform another original play, and there will be a performance by Rhythm of Waters Studio. In addition, discover another kitchen favorite and garden with Jess, as well as plant garlic and enjoy another scavenger hunt.

New Era Creative Space Facebook Page

But Why Garlic?

Garlic is a versatile, delicious, dependable crop to grow. Its health benefits make it one of the top plant medicine plants, helping to fight infection, purify the blood, and benefit the heart. It is planted in the fall, and the seeds (cloves of garlic) are large so everyone, regardless of age or dexterity, can have fun planting it and see it come up first thing in the spring. Right before students leave for summer break, they snap the scapes (flower heads) off the plants to encourage the development of large heads of garlic. Garden volunteers then harvest the garlic in the summer. Much of the job can be done sitting or standing, so it’s a great group project for all ages and abilities. It also doesn’t appeal to garden visitors such as deer, woodchucks and rabbits, so we can depend on it to fuel this first ever Peekskill Garlic Festival.

The Land Stewardship Project

The Peekskill Garlic Festival is in partnership with The Land Stewardship Project. The Land Stewardship Projects goal is to create educational opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds in stewardship of people and place, as well as employment opportunities. In addition, the Peekskill Land Stewardship Project includes cultivating a horticulture program throughout the Peekskill City School District that focused on designing, building, and maintaining green infrastructure projects in the community, stewarding public lands, practicing urban and community agriculture, creating green spaces in the City, and working to nurture the biodiversity.

Donations

This event is free of charge, however donations are gladly accepted and appreciated to help with the cost of running all of the farms and gardens, to buy new seeds and bulbs, garden tools and general upkeep of the farms and gardens. For tax deductible donations, mail checks to “The Garden Club of Peekskill, 48 Hewitt Street/Lake Peekskill, NY 10537 and write “Peekskill Garlic Festival” in the memo line. Or, to use your credit card to make a non-tax deductible donation use this link.

For more information visit the Peekskill Garlic Festival website and the Peekskill Land Stewardship Program website.

Don’t forget to tell everyone at the Peekskill Garlic Festival you read about it in the Peekskill Herald.

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About the Contributor

Dave Mueller

As a Peekskill native, Dave is thrilled to be working with the Peekskill Herald showcasing featured calendar events. A 1999 graduate of PHS, he remembers reading and enjoying the original weekly print edition of the Peekskill Herald every Thursday. He especially liked the political stories, local features and sports coverage when it was written by Peekskill Runner columnist Jack Burns who always managed to weave history into the running times. An avid hiker, he enjoys exploring the local trails as well as the concrete ones in his job as a conductor for Metro North Railroad. He’s a former teacher and co-founder of the Friends of the Peekskill Dog Park, where he frequently can be found with his Koda. He’s happy to be part of the Herald’s growth as the source of local news for Peekskill and looks forward to highlighting a few of many of the events and happenings in Peekskill and the surrounding communities. Reach Dave at [email protected]