On Saturday, October 7th, Fort Langley held its 22nd Annual Cranberry Festival.  Like all fall fairs, it was filled with activities for young and old.

Here are my top 5:

1. Artisan Food:  The Fort Langley Cranberry Festival is a great venue for local merchants to sell their goods.  Whether you are looking for a special cheese, olive oil, yummy artisan bread or chocolate, this is the place to sample new products.  

I came upon a sign for Gluten-Free, Vegan chocolate – well hello!!!

As a treat to myself, I decided to purchase a sampler of Solasta Artisan Chocolates.  Most chocolates have milk in them which causes me some stomach distress.  I can assure you these chocolates were yummy in my tummy! With flavours like Hibiscus & Walnuts or Ginger & Lemongrass, my tastebuds exploded with happiness with each bite.  My favourite from the selection box was the very seasonal Orange & Cranberry.

2.   Food Trucks: Hubby got a bit peckish so we set out to find a cup of coffee and a small pastry for him.  We happened along Food Truck Alley where the sign for Crepes caught our eye.  It seemed like a good place to get a good cup of plain coffee.  Well of course, he had to order a side of blueberry crepes, complete with a topping of whipped cream. Not an original pairing, but I am told they were delicious!

As we waited for his order, I noticed people having what would best be described as a crepe burrito, filled with sweet (Nutella and banana) or savoury (spinach and cheese) ingredients.  Yummo!

3.   Cranberries: Well of course, you have to get some cranberries at a fall festival!  The booth sponsored by Ocean Spray was selling huge bags of the scarlet berries for very reasonable prices. I asked one lady what she was going to do with such a large quantity.  She replied she would freeze most of them and use a few shortly for the requisite Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce.

I wandered a bit further and found a free juice sample stand.  Ocean Spray was giving out samples of its newest flavour combo – Cranberry-Pineapple.  I enjoyed it so much I purchased a bottle when I got home.  I was somewhat disappointed to find out the second ingredient is sugar. I hope they improve on that in the near future as I am convinced there is always room for unsweetened juices on the market.  Still, the kids seem to enjoy it with their dinner that night.

4.   Music & Storytelling: There was music everywhere on Glover Street that day! A small band was set up in Gasoline Alley as people sat at picnic tables enjoying their lunch. Further up the street, the main stage in front of the Fort Langley Community Hall hosted several folk artists. We stood and clapped and sang along as the kids had their faces painted by some very talented volunteers.

At the Fort, we sat around the campfire to warm ourselves and listened to a storyteller from the Kwantlen First Nation tell us a spooky story her grandmother had told her as a child. She kept my own grandchildren spellbound for quite a while.

In the meantime, my husband wandered into the Big House to listen to a Fort interpreter tell his audience about the beginnings of our great province of BC. I was distracted by the smell of something baking and walked over to the outdoor oven where fresh cranberry bannock had just been topped with homemade cranberry sauce. Too bad they were not for sampling.  These treats were made for the staff.

5.   Treats for the home: At this time of year, we all like to make our home a bit cozier with the addition of fluffy pillows and warm blankets.  I like to add some fall scents to make the atmosphere complete. One of the products I was searching for was a candle in a particular scent – London Fog. I knew that Just Candles Co. would have a tent set up where I could make my purchase. Of course, I had to take advantage of their sale and buy a second natural soy wax candle in Hot Apple Cider scent.  I know the London Fog candle is for a friend of mine, but I haven’t decided if I can part with the other candle just yet.  I do plan on visiting Kelly from Just Candles Co. in the near future for a complete story about her Walnut Grove-based business.  You know I won’t be able to resist making a few purchases then!

The Fort Langley Cranberry Festival is over for this year, but you can still catch many of the local fall fairs and make your own top 5 list of things to do. Here’s a link to upcoming activities in the Langley area.