KELSEYVILLE— The 30th annual Pear Festival in Kelseyville brought in over 180 food, farm, craft, and informational vendors to celebrate the town’s long revered crop – pears. Annually on the last Saturday in September the small town of Kelseyville welcomes thousands of people, beginning with the Farm to Fork Dinner of Friday, and ending with a healthy over consumption of everything pear.
Every year the Pear Festival hosts several friendly competitions, including the “Pear Dessert Contest”, showcasing local produce and talent all in one. Prizes included gift cards to local businesses ranging from $25 up to $150 as well as a ride on a float during the parade. This year Betsy Phillips took first place for her “Pear Tart with Lemon Glaze”. Second place went to Isabella Mays for her “Cheesecake with Pear Curd, Whipped Cream & Biscoff Crust”. Third place was awarded to Amy Bolander for her “Maple Pear Gingersnap Cheesecake, Vanilla Bean and Cinnamon Poached Pears, Candied Pear Chips”. Fourth place was given to Huia Clifton-Pope for making “Pear Crusted Tarts”. And Last but not least, in fifth place was Kimberle Herring baking “Spiced Zucchini Pear Cupcakes in Sugar Cones with Browned Butter Buttercream Icing”.
The fourth annual Pear Poetry Contest winners in the adult competition were Roy Arthur Blodgett for “Laden” taking first place and waving from his seat in the parade. “Laden” speaks of a mouse bitten pear, though metaphorically the bites are only a symptom of the larger issue at hand. Second place went to Lynne Schmidt for “Enyo and the Pear Tree”, and third place goes to Colleen Moyne for “Pears Can Be Round”. In the Middle School Pear Haiku competition, Mezmariya Ellis, a seventh grader from Mountain Vista Middle School, took first place claiming her seat in the parade as well. Ellis’ haiku read “Pear left in the garden – fly buzzing around soft fruit – eat it before ants!” Jaycee King – Anderson in grade 6 took second place and Jaxon Noel in grade 8 took third place. Over 50 submissions were received. This year these poems were judged by Lake County Poet Laureate Brenda Yeager alongside Kelseyville poet Pamela Bordisso and the winning poems will be published in the Lake County Bloom Magazine.
Another contest that locals and tourists alike look forward to every year is the pear pie eating contest! First person to finish eating a 3-pound pie without the use of their hands wins bragging rights for a year, and this year that belongs to Kelseyville High School Sophomore Elisha Watkins. Proceeds from this contest are donated to the winner’s local non-profit of choice.
Out of dozens of floats during the Kelseyville Pear Festival Grand Parade the three winners were Cub Scout Pack 142 taking third place, Jim Block Farms in second, and the Lake County Genealogical Society was awarded first place. Congratulations to all of this year’s contest winners.
