Stockton Asparagus Festival

For years, people have been asking for Asparagus Ice Cream at the annual Stockton Asparagus Festival, which has not been available there for over a decade.  Since it’s the festival’s 25th anniversary, the Stockton Conference & Visitors Bureau was determined to have the unusual frozen treat make its return.

We were advised by local ice cream maker Gleason’s Ice Cream on the process of creating Asparagus Ice Cream.  From there it was off to the kitchen where we started off with a vanilla base and whipped up about three gallons of asparagus ice cream for people to taste. The feedback has been very positive, and production is underway to make 300 gallons of ice cream required to produce the 5,000 servings that will be served over the three-day festival.

Look for it at the Asparagus Pasta booth on Asparagus Alley. Limited servings of the frozen treat will be available each day. So make sure you try out this unique tasty treat before it all melts away!

(Special thanks to Wes Rhea for his creation and Arturo Vera Photography for providing all the photos)

For more information on all there is to do, see and of course EAT at the festival, visit:

http://asparagusfest.com/

Booming, fast and dynamic, The California Repercussions is a 45-70 piece band that plays
rock-n-roll as well as traditional band music. All of the members are ex-band people from various schools (ie, Cal, Stanford, UC Davis, Hayward, etc) who just really enjoy playing.

Although most of the members have “day-jobs”: Engineers, Museum curators, moms, dads, students, artists, writers, they get together at least once a month for rehearsals and gigs.

They entertain to enthusiastic audiences just about anywhere: ski resorts, beer tastings, amusement parks, street fairs, and on Saturday, April 24th, at the Stockton Asparagus Festival!

California Repercussions have traveled to Australia, the Soviet Union, Finland, Scotland, England, Austria, the Czech Republic, Japan, and even Oktoberfest in Munich!  You won’t want to miss this group at the festival.

To visit their site, just go to:
http://www.repercussions.com/index.htm

The Stockton Asparagus Festival is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and Major league eating will be there for the fifth year in a row.

Always a favorite event at the festival, The World Deep-Fried Asparagus Eating Championship is set for Saturday, April 24th at 12:00pm on the main stage. Do you have the stomach for it?

If you feel brave enough to take on the likes of Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti and Joey Chestnut come on down and chow down. Spots are now available to the public so if you want to take on the big boys in this contest, make sure to sign up now. Spots are going fast!

Not only does the winner get to walk away with the title of World Deep-Fried Asparagus Eating Champion they will also receive a cash prize of $1,500.  Runner up and third place winners will receive $750 & $500, respectively. Do you have the mental and physical ability to take the title this year?

Sign up now at:

http://www.ifoce.com/contests.php?action=detail&eventID=343

For all three days of the Stockton Asparagus Festival, the DeCarli stage will feature some of the best in local talent. Kicking off the show will be a performance by Lodi Arts & Culture “Stepping Out”/Stockton Parks & Recreation “City Tappers” from 10:30 – 11:30.

Each and every hour a different group will perform, so there is something for everyone! You can catch a dance show in the morning and party to the Caesar Chavez High School Mariachi Band in the afternoon.

From Celtic rock music, to Latin ballet, to magic shows, and Multi-Cultural dance and music, the DeCarli stage will showcase more local talent this year than ever before. Make sure to take some time to stop by the Decarli Stage and show support for local talent.

To see a complete list of the performers and times, just visit:
http://www.asparagusfest.com/decarli/index.html

Make sure you visit Spear-Its of the Valley Pavilion located next to the main stage all weekend and check out some delicious tropical cocktails, Hula Girl Beverages! Although Hula Girl Beverages is based in Stockton, the idea was born in Hawaii. Billy and Lisa Shawver came up with the idea while visiting Hawaii, and decided to make it their dream.

First, you’ll be attracted to the colorful and distinct bottle design, but ultimately, it’s the refreshing taste that will win you over. Unlike some other pre-mixed adult beverages, these are truly unique. All of Hula Girl’s drinks use rum made with Hawaiian molasses from Kauai’s Gay and Robinson sugar plantation.

Hula Girl Cocktails come in four great flavors: Bikini Bling (coconut flavor), Moonlight Mai Tai
(island fruit flavors), Sunset Sensation (luscious peach flavor) and Wild Wahine (pineapple and melon flavors).

You can view Hula Girl Beverages & some really cool merchandise,
like hats, board shorts, beach towels, flip-flops and more!
Just visit:
http://www.hulagirl.com/default.aspx