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Festival quenches kumquat cravings

A tiny fruit draws a big following at Dade City's annual homage, which features produce, food and merchandise booths as well as entertainment and contests.

By MICHELLE JONES
Published January 30, 2005

	[Times photo: Adithya Sambamurthy]
	Kayla Ortiz, 2, Miss Kumquat Bud, selects a kumquat Saturday at the Kumquat Festival as Melissa Collier, Miss Kumquat Princess, and Nicholette Clark, Miss Kumquat Maiden, watch.

DADE CITY - Tangy wangy is the way Roger Swain, longtime host of a PBS television garden show, described the kumquat during Saturday's eighth annual Kumquat Festival.

Dennis and Jan Lawler of Spring Hill, agreed, as they tasted the tiny orange fruit.

Crowds of people filled the streets around the Dade City historic courthouse Saturday morning giving tribute to the kumquat.

Swain, the self-proclaimed "Champion of the Kumquat," came from freezing weather in New Hampshire to tout his "favorite fruit."

"I haven't missed a festival," he said."

The daylong festival featured 250 vendors offering unusual wares, including clothes for pets; jewelry made out of coins; wood carvings; candles of all shapes and sizes; and hats, shirts and totes celebrating the kumquat.

Booths with food, including steak sandwiches, homemade ice cream, cookies, hot chocolate, lemonade, funnel cakes and kumquat pies, cookies and candies, drew people with enticing aromas.

Jane Lawler especially loved the kumquat pie.

Members of the Kiwanis Club sold pancakes and coffee for breakfast, while a trip down memory lane was offered by Watkins Apothacary, a booth featuring home remedies including liniments, tea tree oils, cough syrup and soaps.

"It is a 137-year-old company from Minnesota," said Ernie Tavares of Naples, who hawked the wares. "Everything is natural, pure or concentrated. Watkins was the first door-to-door company in the United States."

Fresh produce could be purchased at a farmer's market. Bright-colored tomatoes, squash, celery, eggplant and green beans were among the offerings.

Throughout the day entertainment was scheduled, including dancers from Peggy's Dance Place in Zephyrhills, the Blackwood Studios of Dade City and the Contempo School of Dance from Lutz. Folk music, the Honey Belles Ladies Barbershop Quartet, a vintage fashion show and the Temple Twirlers Square Dancers were also featured. First used as ornamentals, the smallest citrus fruit is grown in groves in and around Saint Joseph, a small community that proclaims to be the kumquat capital of the world. The kumquat was found to be quite tasty in a variety of recipes, including chutney, cakes, marmalade and Hawaiian chicken. A recipe book with enticing recipes can be purchased from the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

"The round kumquats are sweet all the way through," said Dottie Barr, sharing knowledge she gleaned from a grower. "The oblong kumquats are sweet on the outside and tart on the inside. They definitely have pucker power."

Antiques are another big draw. Wayne and Jean Snyder of Floral City came to peruse antique booths and see antique cars.

Wayne sat on a bench people watching while Jean visited the booths.

"I hope she doesn't spend a lot of money," he said.

Even the stores in Dade City got involved in the festival with a window decorating contest.

Sugar Creek Antiques won first place with its creative use of the kumquat.

This year the Kumquat Festival competed with Tampa's Gasparilla Pirate Festival.

However, Phyllis Smith, of the Dade City Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the event, wasn't worried.

"We have a good crowd, and the weather is holding," she said at midmorning Saturday. "It is definitely starting out wonderful."

[Last modified January 30, 2005, 00:10:19]