National Food Day celebrated at Daffin Park [PHOTO ESSAY]
Photos by Westin Mansfield
Written by Jenna Dousi
Thousands of people gathered at Daffin Park on Saturday, Oct. 24, for the fifth annual Savannah Food Day Festival. Well FED, a local food and dining magazine, hosted the free event in celebration of National Food Day.
Food Day is a nationally recognized holiday that serves as a campaign for healthy and sustainable food. Its goal is to inspire positive food-related changes in individuals and communities.
“It’s really cool that there’s something everyone can come together to learn about important things like health,” said Sydney Veverka, a fourth-year illustration major from Saginaw, Michigan.
With more than 100 vendors and organizations in participation, the Savannah Food Day Festival is the biggest Food Day event in the country. According to Dawn Newsome, a volunteer for Well FED, the event has grown in size since last year.
“The turnout last year was huge, at least 10,000 people,” said Newsome. “And it seemed even bigger this year.”
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the many vendors’ and organizations’ booths lined the length of Daffin Park. One such organization was Savannah for Bernie, a group of Bernie Sanders supporters in the area.
Abby Schultz, a Savannah for Bernie member and third-year graphic design major from Nashville, Tennessee said “I came for Bernie, but I’m into this now. I didn’t realize there were so many efforts here, and we have access to all of it.”
The festival also featured many free workshops and demonstrations and attendees were encouraged to observe and participate in all of the activities.
“My favorite was the beekeeping workshop,” said Reagan Lewsadder, a Savannah local and festival attendee. “It was really interesting learning about the queen bee and how the bees make honey.”
There was plenty of live entertainment as well. Six local bands, each of a different genre, took to the stage throughout the day. Across the park, puppet shows were performed for younger audiences. Even some mascots and mimes showed up to take part in the festival.
Forgot to celebrate Food Day? There’s always next year. National Food Day takes place annually on Oct. 24.
