ST. MARYS, , W.Va. - The sixth annual Sweet Breath of Spring Vidalia Onion Festival will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday in St. Marys.
The festival will feature music, food, crafts and activities. Inflatables will be set up on Washington Street at St. Marys United Methodist Church from noon to 7 p.m. and will be free for participants. A new addition to this year's festival is the "Senior Ladies Onion Pageant."
Other activities will include bingo, cornhole, a Vidalia Onion Eating contest, a farmers market and the third annual Best Pie in Pleasants County contest and pie auction. The pie contest and auction will take place with judging in the morning and auction in the afternoon.
There will be three categories: fruit, cream and nut pies. In each category there will be first through third place awards with prizes of $15, $10 and $5. All pies entered for judging must be in a nine- or 10-inch disposable pan and will be accepted at St. Marys City Hall from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday.
The top three pies in each category and the overall winning pie will be auctioned at 5 p.m. Pies not placing will be cut and sold by the slice beginning at noon. Any entry not meeting requirements will not be judged and will be sold by the slice at the city building.
Those who attend the Onion Festival have something to be proud of as it is their chance to help local organizations and people in need. As you purchase something from a vendor, the money goes directly to the organization.
As an example, the women entrepreneur group, WE SHINE (Women Entrepreneurs Succeed, Help, Inspire, Network and Encourage), will be raising money to sponsor Jodi Renee Powell in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Race for the Cure. Members of this free networking group, comprised of female business owners up and down the Ohio River, will donate portions of their individual sales as well as raffle basket ticket sales to that cause.
Those purchasing 10-pound bags of Vidalia onions will be supporting the Onion Gangs Major Medical Fund. Other groups may be raising funds for Relay for Life.
The schedule of activities includes for May 1 include:
10 to 11 a.m.: Pie contest entries due at the city building
11 a.m.: Opening ceremony
11 to 11:45 a.m.: Pie judging
11 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Concessions and vendors open.
Noon: Selling of Pie Entries by the slice; Honorable Mention Band
1 p.m.: Gary Tuttle and Classic Country Band
1 to 3 p.m.: Bingo, corn hole games, face painting.
2 p.m.: The Peacemakers Band
3 p.m.: The Light Connection Band
3:30 p.m.: Vidalia Onion Eating Contest
4 p.m.: Senior Ladies Vidalia Onion Queen Pageant
5 p.m.: Third annual Pie Contest Awards and Auction
5 to 7 p.m.: Bingo, face painting and Corn Hole
6 p.m.: JMAXX Band
7 to 9 p.m.: Don Gibson and The Velvetones Band
