Dig into summer at Petaluma Art & Garden Festival

It’s summertime and a perfect way to enjoy the bounty Petaluma has to offer is at the 14th annual Petaluma Art & Garden Festival, Sunday, July 12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Kentucky and Fourth streets downtown.

Presented by the Petaluma Downtown Association, the festival is known for focusing on the beauty of nature. The free popular family event draws people from all over the Bay Area to enjoy summer, stroll past charming booths and dance to live music, while tasting the food and beverages only Petaluma has to offer.

Not the typical street fair, high-quality vendors with creative home and garden décor, jewelry, arts and more are highlighted. With 145 booths, the event offers a wide variety of unique items, some that could become family heirlooms.

Experts will be on hand from The Petaluma Garden Club and Sonoma County Master Gardeners to answer gardening questions. They will also offer information on how to grow vegetables in tricky Petaluma adobe soil and discuss organic gardening.

Neufeld Farms will have a fresh array of fruit in its own farmers market and premiere sponsor Friedman’s will display its quality plants available this year for purchase. See Wild Garden Farm’s outdoor kitchen with edible flowers, herbs and other plants.

The Petaluma Art & Garden Festival has long been known for its high quality of musical performers. Read all about the entertainment line up on page C3.

Petaluma is well known as a destination for its fine restaurants, breweries and wine tasting, drawing tourists and foodies from all over the world. The Petaluma Art & Garden Festival ignores traditional fair food. You won’t find funnel cakes and corn dogs here. Instead savor some of the finest foods and beverages the town has to offer.

Food, beer and wine tasting packages are $25, including a commemorative wine or ale glass, adorned with a pink trumpet flower. Individual glasses are $5, with tickets selling for $1.50 each. Each year the festival’s artwork spotlights a different botanical element, making them a fun historic collectible.

The selection of tastes for the palate changes every year, adding to the experience Premiere sponsors Rocky and Rosie Chicken will be serving samples of their chicken from a food truck. Relish grilled chicken breast sliders with porcini slather, garlic and olive oil, Little Sumpin’ chili, poblano wings and devilish honey mustard wings.

Also new this year is Petaluma Creamery, with a sampling of recipes, using many of their locally made cheeses.

Harvest (formerly Fourchette) will share its fresh seasonal menus with seared yellow tail and watermelon salad; curry chicken on flatbread; and Asian pulled pork sliders with smoked Gouda and Asian pears.

Preferred Sonoma Caterers will be serving pesto chicken salad wrap with bruschetta, chocolate chip cookies and mango iced tea. Don’t miss award-winning handmade chocolates and other delights from Bert’s Desserts. Pongos will be providing their chicken satay with cucumber salad, Thai curry and iced tea. Taste artisan pizzas from Brixx. Brothers BBQ will serve paella and ribs. King Catering will shine with its grilled chicken arugula salad adorned toasted pecans, Gorgonzola cheese, sliced grapes in an apricot vinaigrette, brownies and King’s iced tea.

The food wouldn’t be as good if it wasn’t paired up with a fine wine from a local winery, a craft beer or a cocktail from: Lagunitas, Fogline Vineyards, Sonoma Portworks, Heidrun Meadery, Henhouse Brewing, Petaluma Hills or Sonoma Coast Spirits. Golden State Cider will pour its Devoto Orchard Cider and Golden State Cider.

While the parents are eating and dancing, the kids can enjoy the children’s corner, with hands-on arts and crafts, face painting, bounce houses and a corn-hole toss. The Petaluma Panthers Cheer Team will teach kids cheers and how to tumble. The children can also make a paper airplane. The Petaluma Wildlife Center will bring some of their reptile friends to meet the kids including a ball python, California Desert Tortoise, a bearded dragon and more.

Adults and children of all ages will want to compete in the chalk art competition, sponsored by Aqus Community. The competition takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check in at 10:45 a.m. at the Aqus booth on the corner of “B” and Fourth streets. The chalk artwork occurs from 11 a.m., with voting at 3 p.m. and the winner announced at 4 p.m. Enter at Aqus.com.

For information, call 762-9348. Find the festival on Facebook or at petalumadowntown.com.