3 festivals offer taste of Utah

This weekend is a chance to enjoy the culinary offerings of three festivals that have become part of Utah's heritage.

Brigham City's Peach Days began in 1904 as a way to celebrate the harvest in Box Elder County. Scheduled this year for Thursday through Saturday, Peach Days is Brigham City's largest event, quadrupling the small town's population of 18,000 for the weekend.

On the drive up, you can buy peaches and other produce at the many stands dotting U.S. 89 through Willard and Perry. Once you're there, you can chow on Dutch oven peach cobbler, peach smoothies and peach ice cream.

The festivities downtown include two parades, Native American performances, a custom auto show with 700 cars on display, a Harley bike show and more than 200 craft and food vendors. For the full schedule, you can contact the Brigham City Chamber of Commerce at 435-723-3931.

Meanwhile, in Salt Lake City, The Greek Festival takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 279 S. 300 West.

Souvlaki, dolmathes and baklava are just a few of the extensive, big fat Greek menu served every year, beginning at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon on Sunday. While eating, you can enjoy some traditional music and folk dances, shop at the boutique or take a tour of the cathedral.

This is the largest Greek festival west of the Mississippi, and the largest ethnic festival in Utah, with more than 500 volunteers.

The Utah State Fair begins Thursday and runs through Sept. 19.

The culinary adventures here aren't just limited to the concession hot dogs and caramel apples that require a second mortgage to buy. Or the demos of super-duper Choppo-matics or Slicer-amas, or whatever new kitchen gadget the vendors are trying to hawk this year. Or the beef and bacon on-the-hoof in the livestock areas. Or the samples given out during the Ice Cream Festival or the Lamb Feast or the Beef Feast.

Or the cow sculpture made out of hundreds of pounds of butter in Promontory Hall, next to the county exhibits that always seem to have at least one mosaic made of multicolored dried beans and corn. Or the blue-ribbon vegetables on display, usually a little shriveled or tired-looking by the time the public sees them. Or the 4-H building, where kids exhibit cakes decorated in a rainbow of colors.