Pear Blossom Park, 312 E 4th Street
Late September to early October
www.southernoregonsmokedsalmonfest.com
Smoked salmon, a Northwest delicacy for centuries, is a diverse and complex culinary genre, far more so than most people realize. Recipes are legion, whether the fish in hand is ocean-caught coho or river-taken chinook, rich, dense sockeye from the famed runs British Columbia or pale meaty chum from the Yukon. In Southern Oregon, the famed Rogue River historically hosted massive runs of both chinook (king) and coho (silver) salmon, so Medford is the perfect place for the unique, family-friendly Southern Oregon Smoked Salmon Fest, which celebrates the mouthwatering sapidity of smoked salmon in myriad forms.
Southern Oregon Smoked Salmon Fest Medford – Top USA Festivals Photo Gallery
Attendees enjoy the opportunity to sample an array of smoked salmon offerings, while enjoying local and regional wines, beer, and other foods from the fertile Rogue Valley. A highlight of the festival is the smoked salmon competition, in which cash prizes are awarded to the winner as determined by a panel of judges composed of local restaurateurs, culinary experts, and community leaders. For a modest entry fee and advance registration, the contest is open to anyone. Festival attendees receive three voting tickets each with purchase of festival tickets. Throughout this one-day event, which runs from 1 pm to 5 pm at Medford’s beautiful
Pear Blossom Park, live music entertains guests, and children enjoy carnival games and the park playground.
The Southern Oregon Smoked Salmon Fest not only celebrates an Oregon culinary mainstay, but also supports a fantastic cause: the event is the major public fundraiser for the Maslow Project, a nonprofit grassroots organization based in Medford that provides basic needs, crisis intervention, advocacy, street outreach, and essential support services to homeless children and their families in Southern Oregon. The project’s overall mission is to offer every homeless child and youth the probability of success and the opportunity for a better life by providing resources for basic needs, removing barriers to education and employment, and fostering self-sufficiency in a collaborative and empowering environment. A key objective of this locally conceived organization is to help provide enough stability in the lives of children so that they can stay in school and complete their educations. For more information about the Maslow Project and other ways to provide essential financial support to the organization, visit www.maslowproject.com.
