Donut Daze Festival may induce food coma
play games on Friday evening, such as trying to eat a doughnut dangling from a string, racing grocery carts, tossing doughnuts into New Wilmington,aprons, and wearing doughnut Lawrence County, hosts its inner tubes around their annual Donut Daze Festival waists while trying to pick on Friday and Saturday up tiny doughnut erasers off with an array of doughnuts the ground. There will also from 15 local shops and businesses. be live music and a doughnut selfie station.
Friday’s linchpin event is On Saturday morning, the Donut Crawl from 5 to 8 the Tour de Donut bike ride p.m. along Market Street. will start at the Westminster Fifteen doughnut makers College Field House at 8 a.m. will have tables or tents, A selection of three different each selling one variety. Festivalgoers routes will wind through can choose from Amish country. The special three participation levels: requirement of the bike tour Creep ($15), five doughnuts is the “doughnut challenge” plus a mug to fill with their — riders will have to consume choice of coffee, tea or milk; a dozen doughnuts at Crawl ($25), 10 doughnuts stops along the tour. For and the mug; or Coma ($35), those who complete both the 15 doughnuts and the mug. route and the challenge, a
For those who prefer to doughnut awaits them at the limit themselves to one or end. Registration costs $20 two doughnuts, there will be and includes a goodie bag a pop-up shop selling by the and T-shirt, although bags, piece. shirts and medallions are
Participating shops include not guaranteed for late entrants. Amish Donuts, Apple About 350 to 400 bikers Castle, Bill’s Bake Shoppe, are expected. Carol’s Pastry Shop, Classic For details on the Friday Bakery, DeAngelis Donuts, festivities or for Donut Dolce Mia’s Bakery, Freedom Crawl tickets, go to livenewwilmington. Farms Donut Shop,com/donut. To Mac’s Donuts, May’s Doregister for Saturday’s Tour Nuts, Pizza Joe’s, Sinkers & de Donut: nwtourdedonut. Suds, Sweet Chessie’s Bakery,com. Valencia Donut Co. and Whitehouse Farms. Coffee will come from Two Rivers Artisan Coffee Works and milk from Windy Ridge Dairy.
“This is Amish country, and Amish doughnuts are a huge draw,” organizer Katanya Cathcart said. “We have so many local, independent, old-school doughnut shops. This is just a fun, quirky niche event. It seemed like a cool way to distinguish a festival in this area.”
Judges will taste doughnuts on Friday night, and festivalgoers will have a chance to weigh in through a Facebook vote, although a final winner won’t be announced until Monday because “most people will take some doughnuts home,” Ms. Cathcart said. They’ll nosh on them over the weekend rather than trying to eat 15 doughnuts in one night.
Children will be able to
Progressive Brunch: Visit private homes and gardens for appetizer, main and dessert courses along the Mexican War Streets, North Side. Noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. $25. mexicanwarstreets.org.
Observatory Hill House Tour: House tours, food trucks, beer and spirits samples. Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday in Observatory Hill, Perry North (tours start at the corner of Perrysville and Riverview avenues). $15 in advance; $18 day of event. observatoryhill.net.
CuisineArt: Three Courses of Musical Gastronomy: Fun-filled evening of songs about food, drink and revelry from opera, cinema and musical theater. 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Wallace’s Taproom, East Liberty. wallacestaproom.com.
Inspire Speakers Series: Featured speakers are Stephen Ritz, author of “The Power of a Plant” and a champion of promoting sustainability in schools and communities; Karen Washington, a New York farmer and community activist; and Raqueeb Bey of Grow Pittsburgh. 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hillman Auditorium, Kaufmann Center, Crawford-Roberts. Food, drinks and networking start at 4:30 p.m. $20; $10 for those with limited income. inspirespeakersseries.
Mushroom walks: 10 a.m. Saturday at McConnell’s Mill State Park, Lawrence County (meet in main parking lot); 10 a.m. June 10, Moraine State Park, Butler County (meet at shelter 2 on South Shore); 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. June 11, during BioBlitz at Phipps Conservatory, Oakland; and 10 a.m. June 24 at Linbrook Woodlands, Sewickley. All walks are free except the June 24 walk, which is free for Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club members and $5 for nonmembers. wpamushroomclub.org.