on location: south ❖
randy mink
A juicy eating contest highlights the Mississippi Watermelon Festival in Mize.
From Corinth to Biloxi, flavorful food fests highlight culinary traditions and agricultural heritage
L Festivities at the Muscadine Jubilee in Pelahatchie, Miss. include a grape stomp. LeisureGroupTravel.com
ooking for creative ways to whet the appetites of potential travelers? Then consider concocting a Deep South itinerary that includes such gut-busting extravaganzas as the World Catfish Festival or Hog Wild BBQ Festival. It could be a recipe for tour recess. Everyone likes to eat, and food fests offer foot-tappin’ entertainment, shopping for locally made crafts and chances to meet friendly folks who provide a taste of their hometown culture. Small-town festivals take travelers off the beaten path, exposing them to places and events that had never entered their minds. Following are some Mississippi food
festivals that reflect the spirit of the South: Slugburger Festival, Corinth. Taking place the second weekend in July in the state’s northeast corner, this food fest pays homage to one of Corinth’s local delicacies. What is a slugburger and where did its name come from? While opinions vary, one thing is for sure...slugburgers are not made from the terrestrial gastropod mollusk of the same name. The most widely agreed upon story is that during the Great Depression, an extender (such as cornmeal) was used to make the ground beef supply last longer. Each hamburger sold for a nickel, also known as a slug; thus the slugburger was born. These days, October 2010 31