Garlic Festival on Motel 6 ‘quirkiest’ list
UFO and bat festivals also on the list of summer places to go in America
Published in the June 29 – July 12, 2016 issue of Gilroy Life
By Staff Report
The Gilroy Garlic Festival — known for its garlicky cuisine, including ice cream — joins the Roswell UFO Festival and Austin’s Bat Fest as one of the “quirkiest” festivals in America, awarded by Motel 6’s spokesman Tom Bodett.
Photo courtesy Gilroy Garlic Festival
Gilroy’s world-famous festival honoring a certain odorous herb got a nod from Tom Bodett, the famous “We’ll leave the light on for you” voice for Motel 6. The Gilroy Garlic Festival is called the “ultimate food fair” and is being honored by Bodett as one of “America’s Top 6 Quirkiest Festivals” this summer. The list was created to recognize festivals that give locals and out-of-towners alike a chance to celebrate some of the most unusual and entertaining summer fairs across this great country of ours.
“The best part of working on this list with Motel 6 was rediscovering America’s ingenuity. There are so many exceptional events and communities across the U.S., and I am thrilled to help shine the light on them,” Bodett said. “Motel 6’s list is the perfect chance for travelers to make the most of the summer vacation season and experience these one-of-a-kind happenings. The average carnival pales in comparison.”
Motel 6 and Tom Bodett chose these off-beat festivals based on uniqueness of theme and exemplary attendee experiences. In addition to the Garlic Festival, the other five America’s Top Quirkiest Festivals of 2016 are:
• Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival held in Avon, Ohio, June 17 to 19, is a free, three-day family-friendly festival featuring live entertainment, food, rides, crafts and a parade with giant floats made from duct tape. There’s even a fashion show to model their custom Duck Tape outfits.
• Roswell UFO Festival held in Roswell, New Mexico, June 30 to July 3, where UFO enthusiasts (and skeptics) celebrate the alleged flying-saucer crash landing in July 1947.
• Running of the Bulls held in New Orleans July 8 to 10, where on the same weekend as the famous Running of the Bulls in Spain, the San Fermín in Nueva Orleans festival celebrates in the same way but with a twist — the “bulls” are roller derby athletes.
• Great River Tug Fest between LeClaire, Iowa, and Port Byron, Ill., held Aug. 11 to 13 along the Mississippi River, featuring a tug-of-war competition between Illinois and Iowa. The epic rivalry is at the heart of the celebration on both sides of the river with festivities including parades, mini-tugs for kids, carnival rides, live entertainment and more.
• Bat Fest held in Austin, Texas Aug. 20, where nearly two million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Tourists and locals flock to view the bats’ nightly flights into the sky at dusk and listen to live music.