The Vidalia Onion Festival

On May 3, the 2014 Annual Vidalia Onion Festival in my hometown of St. Marys, West Virginia will be kicking off once again.  The Onion Festival is a community fundraiser that raises money for members of the community with medical needs they cannot, or are struggling to afford. These needs include but are not restricted to hospital and doctor bills, dentistry and orthodontic needs, fuel and lodging for families traveling to medical facilities, prescriptions, surgeries, and optometry, physical therapy, and much more.

This festival is precious to many of us hometown folk, not just as a worthy fundraiser, but also due to its origins...particularly the beloved gents who started it all: Bill Hammett and "Coonie" Pryor.  If you live in SM or nearby or are simply passing through, this is a terrific way to support a small town endeavor that can make a big impact on people's lives. A bag of sweet Vidalia onions costs 10$ and there will also be several concession stands with awesome homemade treats, live music, and of course, the Grand Onion Eating Contest as well.

Go on then....go see the good folks in St. Marys, pick up a bag (or several bags) of Vidalia onions and experience my hometown at its finest.

*Thanks to Kristy Deem and Erwin Berry, whose Onion Fest info I "lifted" from Facebook (including Kristy's snazzy Coonie-centric call-to-action on top of the page) for this post.