Keeps away vampires, is good for your health, and can be made into ice cream. What is it?

And the answer is: Garlic, of course.

Last weekend Christian and I attended the Garlic Festival in Gilroy. It was like nothing else I've ever seen!

We didn't know the exact location, we just decided to drive to Gilroy and then try to find it.
Turns out, it wasn't a problem. All we had to do was follow the LONG line of cars and the smell (even 10 miles outside the city all you could smell was garlic!) for about an hour.

Once we arrived, our next task was to park. There were acres and acres of old fields dedicated to parking. Hundreds of Gilroy residents dressed in orange t-shirts as well as most of the Gilroy police department directed traffic. Once in a parking spot, you could either take the school bus shuttle or walk into the Festival. We opted to walk.

When we finally got inside, there were plenty of things to see (and eat.) These ladies (as well as other devoted garlic volunteers) were willing to give anyone information about where to go and what to do. I wonder if they had to go through training to get the yellow vests. Hmmm.......

Folks came from near and far just to see the sights. Christian was so excited! He didn't even know where to start. Garlic is one of his favorite thing to eat. If he keeps studying, maybe one day he'll get to wear a yellow vest, too.

As for the events, there were bands, lots of arts and crafts, and of course, lots and lots of food!

I mean, lots and lots of food!

And, my personal favorite..............
It actually wasn't that bad!

There was also Garlic apparel. As you can see, this lady is sporting a garlic hat!
There was garlic art...
And even..............the Garlic Queen and her attendants.

Overall, it was a wonderful day! Although, on the drive home we did make one stop to try to get the garlic taste our of our mouths.

This time we ate chocolate ice cream instead of garlic.