Fernie will be celebrating farm-to-table culture on Sept. 10 and 11 at Fernie’s community eco garden for the second annual Feast and Fest. According to Wildsight Elk Valley Branch Outreach and Events Coordinator, Holly Kimola, the event is all about “connecting the community with where their food comes from while celebrating the harvest.”
Kimola says the Feast and Fest is an opportunity for those who know, grow and eat local to celebrate the lifestyle and bring people less knowledgeable about the culture into the community.
“At the same time Feast and Fest can inspire and educate people who don't understand why knowing where their food comes from, connecting with local growers, and growing their own food are important issues when it comes to food security and sustainable communities,” Kimola continued.
One of the challenges and excitements to the whole event is the menu planning. According to Kimola, there isn’t a finalized menu until the events featured chef, Chef Barrie Elliott and her team sees what food is available to prepare, which is expected to happen very close to the event’s date.
“Chef Barrie has agreed to cater Feast & Fest for the second year now. Wildsight loves her passion for high quality, fresh and local ingredients. We thought it would be a great match, and we were right. We're so thankful and lucky to work with her,” said Kimola.
Kimola says the Feast will feature more than fabulous food, as the eco gardens turn into a spectacular venue for the dinner, including acoustic music, a greenhouse bar and wildflower bouquets.
“Feast & Fest is held in the Fernie Community EcoGarden and Wildsight transforms the already gorgeous surroundings into a truly magical space. There's small fire pits, and warm lighting. Zac Barrett and his violin will be joining us again this year to play beautiful acoustic music during the Feast.”
The “fest” part of the evening features desserts and entertainment for guests. People who did not attend the Feast are welcome to the Fest portion of the evening.
“The Fest offers scrumptious dessert and DJ Aurora who'll get the dance party started on the turntables. We will be having a live auction again with this years auctioneer being Casey Brennan. This year’s auction will be showcasing the skills and talents people of Fernie have to offer,” said Kimola. “This is all happening at Feast and Fest, but what really makes this event standout is our guests. The energy and conversation available at Feast & Fest is unmatched. You really have to attend to understand how special Feast and Fest is.”
This is the second year the event will be held. The event has changed a lot, but has kept some things the same, like the venue, chef, and live auction.
While the Feast and Fest is only in its second year, Kimola says they learned a lot from organizing last year’s event and hope to piggyback on the foundation of what they have. “We learned so much from the first event,” explained Kimola. “One thing that we're really excited about is a ticket option for all budgets. Feast and Fest tickets are $75 dollars. We've introduced a Fest only ticket this year. For $20 dollars you can enjoy the dessert, the atmosphere, live auction, deejay and dancing into the night with good people. It's the farm-to-table 'after party.' We hope to attract young adults, they're a really important part of sustainable communities.”
When Kimola spoke to The Free Press there were 60 of the 120 tickets sold. She expects the dinner to sell out again this year while the Fest only tickets will not be limited. If there are remaining tickets they will be available at the door of the event.
“You mean at the 'Deer Fence.' After 8:30 p.m. you can get a Fest ticket on the night. We do hope to see some new faces for the entire Feast and Fest celebration this year.”
This year, Wildsight partnered with the Fernie & District Historical Society to host the Chautauqua and Feast and Fest in the same weekend, creating a larger celebration of art, culture and farm-to-table cusine. A full events schedule can be found online at Ferniechautauqua.com.
Tickets can be purchased at the Wildsight office, the Fernie Museum or online at Wildsight.ca/fest.