The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
ALL ABOUT BACON
Second annual Make’N Bacon Fest raises money for local causes
ONEIDA, N.Y. » Bacon lovers from throughout the region converged on Oneida Saturday to bond over all things bacon at the Make’N Bacon Fest.
Madison County Relay for Life, Oneida Pop Warner, Oneida Public Library, St. Patrick’s School, Oneida American Legion Post 169, and Bogardus Performing Arts were some of the organizations benefiting from the event. Others included the Madison County Marine Corps Toys for Tots, which just kicked off the start of their drive, looking for all the help they can get before this holiday season.
“We were here last year and it was fun and it was a good cause, so we came again this year,” Andi Hyle, one of the owners of Rustic Wicks said. “It’s great to meet the people. People like to see you be part of the community.”
While the rain drizzled down, it didn’t stop people fromenjoying themselves and the food on offer, from candied bacon on a stick, bacon wrapped scallops to bacon cheeseburgers.
One of the caterers for the event was Promise Land Barbeque, back for a second time around. “We were asked to come over, we came last year and had a great time so we came again this year,” Robin Dolin, one of the owners of Promise Land BBQ said. “It’s small, local people and I prefer that. We get to chat and it’s more personal. I think there should be many more events like this.”
All the way from Frankfort, Dolin had a lot to say about the Oneida community.
“I didn’t realize Oneida was as open and friendly as they are,” she said. “They’re very lovely people. We’ve had a lot of people satisfied and remember us from last year and are glad we’re back. It’s very enjoyable.”
A number of local businesses and vendors got together, more than happy to share and show off what they had to offer and the entertainment kept turning heads.
D’Funk’D kept toes tapping with their brass band, Mixed Brew covered tunes that got people rocking out and Swamp Drivers made people stop and stare at their homemade instruments.
And if that wasn’t enough, people gathered for a baseball game of a different color.
Mike Velapoldi is the main organizer of the Oneida Vintage League, a 19th century style baseball league that pays homage to the game’s roots and shows just what it was like up to 1864. They have two teams, the Oneida Atlantics and the Bouckville Summits, two original baseball teams from the area. And people were more than interested to play before the game event started.
“We haven’t even played yet and I’ve picked up three more players,” Velapoldi said. “These are all genuine baseball people who love the game. You have all walks of life that are playing this.”
The Make’N Bacon Fest boasted foods coming together with bacon, but it all came together for the first time with an idea.
The idea behind the first Make’N Bacon Fest, organizer Carrie Earl said, was to grab more attention from people from the outside and show them the Oneida community. “It’s a beautiful city.”