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Tuesday, December 20, 2016

A 10-Digit Key Code to Your Private Life: Your Cellphone Number

The next time someone asks you for your cellphone number, you may want to think twice about giving it.
The cellphone number is more than just a bunch of digits. It is increasingly used as a link to private information maintained by all sorts of companies, including money lenders and social networks. It can be used to monitor and predict what you buy, look for online or even watch on television.
It has become “kind of a key into the room of your life and information about you,” said Edward M. Stroz, a former high-tech crime agent for the F.B.I. who is co-president of Stroz Friedberg, a private investigator.
Yet the cellphone number is not a legally regulated piece of information like a Social Security number, which companies are required to keep private. And we are told to hide and protect our Social Security numbers while most of us don’t hesitate when asked to write a cellphone number on a form or share it with someone we barely know.
That is a growing issue for young people, since two sets of digits may well be with them for life: their Social Security number and their cellphone number.
Nearly half of all American households have given up their landlines and have only wireless phone service — a figure that has risen more than 10 percentage points in just three years. Among people ages 25 to 29, the share of homes that have only wireless phone service stands at 73 percent, according to government statistics.
Taylor Gallanter, a 23-year-old hair stylist in San Francisco, has had her cellphone number since she was 15. She has never had a landline and doubts she ever will.  
She knows how valuable her cellphone number is. She does not provide it on online forms unless it is required. Using her email address as contact information, she said, seems less invasive and risky.
“With just your cellphone number and name, I know they can get all sorts of information about you,” Ms. Gallanter said.
In fact, investigators find that a cellphone number is often even more useful than a Social Security number because it is tied to so many databases and is connected to a device you almost always have with you, said Austin Berglas, a former F.B.I. agent who is senior managing director of K2 Intelligence, a private investigator.
“The point is the cellphone number can be a gateway to all sorts of other information,” said Robert Schoshinski, the assistant director for privacy and identity protection at the Federal Trade Commission. “People should think about it.”
The use of the cellphone number in new, unanticipated ways has echoes in the history of the Social Security number, which was created in 1936. Its original purpose was to enable the nation’s nascent social insurance system to maintain accurate records of workers covered under the program. It was never meant as a general-purpose identification number.
Gradually, the simplicity of using a unique number to identify people encouraged the widespread use by other government agencies and corporations. That took off starting in the 1960s, when mainframe computers made it possible to create huge digital files on citizens and customers.
The spread of the Social Security number as a quick and easy identifier, found in all kinds of corporate and government databases, has smoothed the way for commerce. But there have been unintended consequences.
“That Social Security numbers are so broadly used and often so poorly protected is a major cause of the current epidemic of identity theft,” said Alessandro Acquisti, a computer scientist and privacy expert at Carnegie Mellon University.
The total losses in the United States from stolen identities used in crimes like credit card and loan fraud were $15 billion last year, Javelin, a research and consulting firm, estimated. And 11 percent of American adults say they lost money last year in a telephone swindle, according to a Harris Poll survey sponsored by Truecaller, a Swedish maker of a cellphone app with features like caller ID and spam blocking.
But if a cellphone number and the intimate computer behind it open a door to new risks, technology, as is so often the case, can also be employed to combat those risks.
Take fraud prevention. When shoppers use Affirm, a start-up that offers an alternative to credit cards for online purchases, the company’s software mines many data sources and approves or rejects a loan within a minute or so.
To perform that feat of technical wizardry, Affirm asks borrowers for a few pieces of personal information, including their names and dates of birth.
But the strongest identifier and conduit to useful information is the cellphone number, which acts like “the digital equivalent of the Social Security number,” said Max Levchin, chief executive of Affirm.
When a customer of Affirm wants to get an installment loan to buy, say, an $850 mattress or a $3,000 mountain bike, the company sends the person a temporary personal identification number in a text message.
The same form of authentication is widely used by banks, payment systems like PayPal and other companies before certain transactions are approved. The temporary ID numbers typically remain valid for only 30 seconds to 180 seconds, increasing the odds that the person trying to borrow or buy is indeed the same person who owns the phone with that number.
It’s not foolproof, but if a cellphone is lost or stolen, it is typically locked. It can be hacked into, but that takes a separate set of skills. By contrast, a stolen Social Security number is a permanent pathway to identity theft.
“What you can do with the cellphone number and mobile technology represents a pretty substantial advantage in the ongoing war against fraud and identity theft,” said Rajeev Date, a venture investor and former banker, who was previously deputy director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
But a cellphone-only life presents problems for many independent professionals and workers at start-ups and small businesses, who make business calls on their personal cellphones. So Ms. Gallanter, a partner in a mobile barbershop in a van, became one of the five million people who have installed the new app Sideline this year to add a second number to their cellphones.
The service is free for individuals and $10 a month a number for groups of workers in a business, who get extra features like a company directory and voice mail transcription. One of Sideline’s ad mottos is: “Keep your personal number private. Add a second number to your smartphone.”
“This gives you a second mobile identity, which more and more people need today,” said Greg Woock, chief executive of Pinger, a start-up in San Jose, Calif., that created the Sideline software and service.

Source:   nytimes.com

The Twelve Scams Of Christmas

The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers about holiday-themed scams.
"When consumers let their guard down they become the perfect target for fly-by-night Internet merchants, phishers and charitable imposters," says Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau. "Each year at Christmas consumers lose millions of dollars to scam artists who rip them off."
Here is the list of scams the BBB is telling us to watch out for as we do our Christmas shopping:
1. Secret Sister Exchange: A social media scam that claims if you buy a $10 gift and send it to a "secret sister," you will receive anywhere from six to 36 in return. This is a variation on "pyramid schemes" and it's illegal.
2. Help Scams: Calls to unsuspecting relatives or friends from imposters who claim to be a grandchild, niece, nephew or friend, who is traveling, and they need emergency financial help to cover medical or legal expenses.
3. Seasonal Travel Scams: Whether it's a promise of a free or discounted trip, phony rental listings, or con men telling timeshare sellers they've got a buyer lined up, scammers are working to rip you off. Check out any offers of great travel deals.
4. Point of sale Malware:is malicious software expressly written to steal customer payment data -- especially credit card data -- from retail checkout systems. Check your credit card statements to make sure you don't have unwanted charges as a result of a point-of-sale breach of your credit security.
5. Phony charities: 'Tis the season to donate, but be wary of fake charities. Do your research and double check the site URL. Check out charities at http://ask.bbb.org/.
6. Fake coupons: Avoid the unwanted gift of malware and always verify that e-cards or coupons are from someone you know and are from a trustworthy site.
7. Fake shipping notifications: Think twice before clicking links in shipping notification emails. Always verify the shipping company before giving out your personal information.
8. ATM Skimmers: The typical ATM skimmer is a device smaller than a deck of cards that fits over the existing card reader. It is essentially a malicious card reader that grabs the data off the card's magnetic stripe so that the thief can harvest data from every person that swipes their cards.
9. Fake Romance: Scammers create fake online profiles using photos of other people - even stolen pictures of real military personnel. They profess their love quickly. And they tug at your heartstrings with made-up stories about how they need money - for emergencies, hospital bills, or travel.
10. Fake Apps/phony e-tailers: Today, smartphones act not only as a phone but also a credit card, house key, camera and more. Malware can access your device via apps. Do your research and stick to official app stores when downloading.
11. Free gift cards: Pop-up ads or emails offering free gift cards are often just a ploy to get your personal information that can later be used for identity theft.
12. Phishing emails: Be wary unexpected deals or product promotions from stores or sellers you have never dealt with. There will be people trying to take advantage of buyers where the victim could be subject to phishing tactics or just stolen money for an order that will never come in.

Source:  wifr.com

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Dad Asks His Little Girl To Sing Her Favourite Song. What He Captures On Video… It’s Going VIRAL!

“Something, something, part of your world!” Okay, so that’s me trying to sing Part Of Your World from Disney’s The Little Mermaid without the lyrics in front of me. As it turns out, not only do I not remember 99% of the words, the lyrics are actually “part of that world.” Whoops. Fortunately, 3-year-old Claire knows the song much better than I do. Indeed, it’s Part Of Your World is her favourite song (pre-Frozen era, that is). So what happens Dad happens to be a music producer with a home studio? Well, you record your little girl and make the most adorable music video ever that she will no doubt cherish for the rest of her life!

 
 

Source: metaspoon.com

Thursday, November 10, 2016

New Bike Tires That Will Never Get Flat

A flat tire is a thing that can ruin even the best bike trip. However, riders can forget dragging around their patch kits and pumps, because Nexo created an airless tire to ensure they keep pedaling.
Flat-free tires aren’t new, however they weren’t widely used because of poor stiffness and shock absorption, compared to the conventional ones. But this Utah-based company claims to have found a solution to these problems. The tires are made from polymeter blends that are said to offer not only a perfect balance of cushion and resilience, but durability as well. The product comes in two different shapes – tires to be mounted on existing wheels with a lifespan of up to 3,100 miles, and others, which replace the entire wheel set and last for up to 5,000 miles.
If that’s not enough, Nexo made their products from a single material, which makes recyclability really easy. Considering that 10,000,000 tons of bike tires and tubes are discarded every year, that’s certainly a step in the right direction.
More info: Kickstarter (h/t: treehugger)

These innovative bike tires can’t get flat

They are made from polymeter blends that offer durability and a perfect balance of cushion and resilience

Users can mount them on their wheels or purchase entirely new wheel sets

Cyclists can ride these tires for up to 5,000 miles

Because they’re made from a single material, recycling becomes really easy

Are you ready to say goodbye to conventional tires?

Watch the video below for more information

 

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to our top stories.

 Source: boredpanda.com

How Sand Looks Magnified Up To 300 Times

sand-grains-under-microscope-gary-greenberg-1

Comparing something to a grain of sand is usually supposed to mean that it’s small or insignificant, but Dr. Gary Greenberg’s microscopic photography aims to turn this stereotype on its head. His photographs of miniscule grains of sands magnified up to 300 times reveal that each grain of sand can be beautiful and unique.

sand-grains-under-microscope-gary-greenberg-4

Greenberg’s story is a fascinating one. First of all, he invented the high-definition 3D microscopes that he takes his pictures on, resulting in 18 U.S. patents under his name. He was a photographer and filmmaker until age 33, when he moved from LA to London and earned a Ph. D. in biomedical research. This seems to have given him a unique appreciation for biological and scientific curiosities and for the optical technologies he would need to document them.

sand-grains-under-microscope-gary-greenberg-2

Sand composition can vary drastically depending on where it’s located. The coastal sands in Hawaii, where Dr. Greenberg is located, are very likely the subjects of his amazing micro-photography. The sand in his images is full of remnants from various tropical sea organisms large and small. The sand on other coasts, depending on the temperature, surf conditions and marine environment, may include a totally different set of rocks, minerals and organic matter.

sand-grains-under-microscope-gary-greenberg-3

Source: sandgrains.com

Friday, October 7, 2016

The Popsicle Was Invented By An 11 Year Old

 

Today I found out that the Popsicle was invented by an eleven-year-old boy.

In 1905, eleven-year-old Frank Epperson from San Francisco, California invented the popular hot weather treat, the Popsicle as we know it today. However, the invention supposedly came about as a pure accident! According to the Popsicle company, one cold evening Frank left a mixture of powder flavored soda water with a stir stick in it on the porch. Because of the cold weather outside, he awoke to a frozen treat on a stick.

Seventeen years later, in 1922, Epperson served his ice lollipops at a Fireman’s ball and they were a huge hit. It didn’t take long then for Epperson to realize the commercial possibilities of his accidental invention. A year later, in 1923, he introduced the frozen pop on a stick to the public at Neptune Beach, an amusement park in Alameda, California. It was a big success. He soon after applied and received a patent for a “frozen confectionery”, in 1924, which he named the “Epsicle Ice Pop”. He began producing it in different fruit flavors on birch wood sticks.

Epperson and his partners set up a royalty arrangement with the Popsicle Corporation, but Mr. Epperson sold his patent to the Popsicle after 1925, to the Joe Lowe Company of New York. At the time, he was broke and had to liquidate all his assets to stay afloat. The Joe Lowe Company grew the brand as the Popsicle gained popularity, diversifying into similar frozen treats such as the twin Popsicle, Fudgsicle, Creamsicle and Dreamsicle.  The Popsicle brand today belongs to Unilever’s Good Humor division, having been owned by a number of companies since its inception.

Bonus Facts:
  • Today the Popsicle brand is an American classic with more than 30 creative variations of the original.
  • Two billion Popsicle ice pops are consumed every year. Cherry is the number one favorite Popsicle flavor.
  • It is unclear exactly where the name “popsicle” comes from, but it is thought it derives from the contraction of “lollypop” and “icicle”.
  • Another food invention that was supposedly discovered accidentally was the Chocolate Chip Cookie. Mrs. Wakefield was making chocolate cookies but ran out of regular baker’s chocolate. She substituted it with broken pieces of semi-sweet chocolate, expecting it to melt. Later she sold the recipe to Nestle in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate chips.
Source:  todayifoundout.com

The Best Food Festival in Every U.S. State

Illustration map of food festivals in the U.S.
Illustration map of food festivals in the U.S.
  Eat your way across America with this ultimate map of foodie celebrations.
  
Illustrations by Brosmind

When it comes to quirky food festivals, America stands united. Our cross-country map of state-by-state cuisine celebrations, adapted from National Geographic's new book, Great American Eating Experiences, takes you from Massachusett's fluffernutter fest to a garlic gathering in California (breath mints recommended). Plan a food-filled road trip to follow the locals to these top festivals highlighting regional specialities.

Alabama

The Peanut Boil Festival in Luverne includes much more than fresh goobers every September. Go nuts for the arts and crafts, beauty pageant, car show, and live music.

Alaska

Every May, the Kodiak Crab Festival celebrates one of Alaska’s most sought-after food items over five days of bacchanal, with cooking demonstrations by Alaska chefs using locally harvested seafood and wild greens.

Arizona

Everything you always wanted to know about lettuce is the focus of Yuma Lettuce Days, which unfolds each February at the University of Arizona Agriculture Center. A fresh-from-the-field salad bar featuring locally grown head, leaf, and romaine lettuce is one of the main attractions, but the leafy shindig also boasts cooking demonstrations, live music, and lectures.

Arkansas

Munch on a big and crunchy fried dill and watch, or better yet, enter the contests at Atkins Picklefest held each May. Locals find the power to inhale sour during the pickle-eating or pickle-juice drinking challenges.

California

Once misunderstood (too ethnic!) or even reviled (stinky!), the boldly flavored Allium sativum has come a long way to become an essential part of the American pantry. And no place in America wears its garlic pride like the agricultural city of Gilroy, the self-proclaimed “garlic capital of the world,” during the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival when dozens of vendors spare no flavor.

Colorado

The Great American Beer Festival in Denver allows visitors the chance to sample thousands of American craft beers. Judges separate the best suds from the duds during this three-day annual event held every fall.

Connecticut

Connecticut’s annual Milford Oyster Festival celebrates the wealth of East Coast oysters, harvested from Maine to Virginia. But the choicest of the 30,000 oysters (and clams) served on the half shell at this August event are those marked with a “CT.”

Delaware

Bridgeville, Delaware, home to the nation’s largest producer, RAPA Scrapple, goes all out with its annual Apple Scrapple Festival each October. Find all-you-can-eat scrapple breakfasts, scrapple carving, and scrapple chunkin’—a shot put–style contest where participants fling packages of scrapple as far as they can.

District of Columbia

Truckeroo is a monthly festival held April through October at the corner of Half Street and M Street SE, across from the Navy Yard metro station. It brings together more than 20 food trucks for a full day of live music, games, and tasty eats.

Florida

The annual Key Lime Festival in Key West around July 4 includes pie cooking demonstrations and competitions and the requisite key lime pie–eating contest. Plus, there’s ample opportunity to sample the goods along with key lime cocktails and locally distilled key lime rum.

Georgia

Held every June in Peach County, the weeklong Georgia Peach Festival includes the baking—and eating—of the world’s largest peach cobbler. The 11-by-5-foot dessert uses 75 gallons of fresh peaches. Festival events are held in Peach County’s two cities, Fort Valley and Byron.

Hawaii

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival takes place over 10 days in early November of each year, highlighting the region’s long coffee and cultural heritage. Daily coffee tastings, art strolls, and tours of working coffee farms are worth the buzz.

Idaho

Potato sack races, tuber tosses, tugs-of-war over a potato “mash pit,” and the Miss Russet beauty contest highlight September’s Idaho Spud Day in Shelley, on the banks of the Snake River.

Illinois

The Southern Illinois river town of Golconda throws a jumbo-size Shrimp Festival each September for sustainably farmed shrimp. Find cornhole tournaments, a Little Miss Shrimp pageant, and enough shrimp dishes to satisfy anyone's appetite.

Indiana

Persimmon passion peaks every year in September during the fruit’s namesake festival in Mitchell, Indiana. Expect a seriously small-town scene, complete with a parade, a candlelight tour of the town’s historic area, and the persimmon pudding competition.

Iowa

Bacon lovers rejoice at the Des Moines Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival every February. Go whole hog with lectures, eating competitions, and sizzling live entertainment.

Kansas

Proclaimed the “Spinach Capital of the World” during the 1930s, the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa celebrates the leafy green with a family-oriented Spinach Festival in September. Participants try to outdo their record for the largest spinach salad or pose for photo ops with Popeye and Olive Oyl.

Kentucky

The World Chicken Festival held each September in London honors Laurel County’s fried fowl heritage, since Kentucky Fried Chicken was invented nearby. Some 7,000 festival chicken dinners are fried annually in what’s billed as the world’s largest stainless steel skillet: a 700-pound pan that can cook 600 chicken quarters at a time.

Louisiana

November’s Oak Street Po-Boy Festival in Uptown New Orleans attracts nearly 60,000 sandwich lovers and more than 40 vendors selling a dizzying array of delicious po’boys stuffed with everything from German goulash to fried Maine lobster.

Maine

August’s blueberry harvest is a statewide celebration, but the Wilton Blueberry Festival is really top of the pick. The two-day event serves up pancake breakfasts, blueberry cook-offs, and plenty of pies to take home.

Maryland

Spice things up at the Old Bay Festival in Cockeysvile held in June. The state's signature flavor is showcased through competitions for the best seasoned dish and crab races.

Massachusetts

Don’t miss the annual September What the Fluff? festival in Somerville’s Union Square, where the gooey treat was invented. A marshmallow toss, musical performances, and the ultimate fluffernutter sandwiches are sure to stick.

Michigan

In early July, the eight-day National Cherry Festival attracts half a million people to Traverse City for events like the Cherry Pie Bike Ride (all participants get a free slice of cherry pie), orchard tours, cherry pie–eating contests, and the Make & Bake cherry pie workshop for children.

Minnesota

Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville, Minnesota, hosts a Native American–focused Wild Rice Festival each September where visitors can feast on wild rice pancakes, sausages, and “four sisters” soup made with corn, squash, beans, and wild rice.

Mississippi

The World Catfish Festival in Belzoni each April celebrates the city’s 1976 title as “farm-raised catfish capital of the world.” Events include a catfish fry, live blues and gospel music, and a catfish-eating contest.

Missouri

More than 600 teams vie every October to be top pitmaster at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City, Missouri. Juried categories cover everything from best sauce to best brisket, plus live entertainment and fireworks.

Montana

Pancake breakfasts and dessert contests are just part of the huckleberry-centric fun at the Trout Creek Huckleberry Festival each August. The community gathers for a parade, horseshoe contests, and dancing under the stars.

Nebraska

Hastings, Nebraska, puts on a sweet face to celebrate their invention of the flavored drink mix during Kool-Aid Days in August. Discover collectible exhibits, photo ops with the Man, drinking contests, and the world’s largest Kool-Aid stand.

Nevada

The culture and heritage of Greece shines at the annual Las Vegas Greek Food Festival in September. Attendees can join traditional dances to work off the gyros, souvlaki, and baklava served in abundance.

New Hampshire

The mid-October Milford Pumpkin Festival is the destination for all things pumpkin: the pumpkin weigh-in (winners top 1,300 pounds), the pumpkin catapult, the pumpkin lighting, and, of course, the pumpkin pie competition.

New Jersey

Trenton recently inaugurated the annual Pork Roll Festival to celebrate its unique culinary contribution. Vendors sell their favorite pork roll creations against a background of live music.

New Mexico

One of the best places to buy (and try) a wide variety of locally grown hot things is the Viva New Mexico Chile Festival in Los Lunas. In addition to a salsa contest and chili cook-off, the three-day event invites chili farmers to vend their green and red treasures at numerous stalls around the festival grounds.

New York

Lyons, in upstate New York, honors its sweet history as a main producer of peppermint oil during Peppermint Days every July. Families find tractor shows, historic tours, and amusement rides during the festival weekend.

North Carolina

Agriculture takes center stage at the Smithfield Ham & Yam Festival in May, with pig races and barbecue cook-offs. Hundreds of vendors gather around carnival rides and live entertainment.

North Dakota

Dust off your horned helmet and bring a Viking-size appetite if you’re heading to the Norsk Høstfest in Minot, which runs late September through early October. The five-day celebration includes concerts, dancing, and even a folk school teaching traditional crafts, but the biggest draw is the food since one third of North Dakotans have roots in Norway.

Ohio

The annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival is held each September in Albany, Ohio, just 20 miles from the border with West Virginia. The three-day fete features creative culinary inventions like pawpaw mustard, pawpaw tamales, and even pawpaw wheat beer.

Oklahoma

Tiny Bristow is a long way from Beirut, but it has been home to a large population of Lebanese immigrants for more than a century. Every May they celebrate Lebanon’s signature salad at the Tabouleh Fest, complete with a Miss Tabouleh pageant, belly dancers, and an all-you-can-eat Lebanese lunch prepared by local churches.

Oregon

Berry lovers rejoice in downtown Portland during July with the Oregon Berry Festival in full swing to highlight one of oldest berry industries in the country. Blackberry pies compete for top prize, a city celebrity chef hosts a gala dinner, and musicians jam out for the occasion.

Pennsylvania

A party for bean soup is not as odd as it sounds, since the McClure Bean Soup Festival held in September traces its roots to practical dinners organized by Civil War soldiers. Now baking contests, horse shows, and garden tractor pulls bring the community together.

Rhode Island

Clam chowder takes many forms from creamy New England style to the tomato-based soup in New York. Vistitors can taste them all during the Block Island Chowda' Fest in May, when island restaurants compete for the best bowl and a year of bragging rights.

South Carolina

The World Grits Festival held each April in St. George celebrates the small town’s collective appetite for grits. According to the locals, more grits are consumed per capita here than anywhere else in the world. The event includes the opportunity to roll in grits because . . . why not?

South Dakota

First buffalo are coralled in Custer State Park. Then local cooks compete during the Buffalo Wallow Chili Cook-Off taking place every October, with plenty of sampling opportunities for visitors.

Tennessee

The International Biscuit Festival and the aroma of fresh-baked biscuits draws more than 20,000 people into downtown Knoxville each May. Biscuit-based events include a contest with several categories, including sweet and savory, and samples for nibbling.

Texas

A 10-day salute to sausage takes place in November during the Wurstfest in New Braunfels. The fun links to the area's German heritage with plenty of beer and cheer.

Utah

Contests to choose the best funeral potatoes are a staple of the Utah State Fair, held every September in Salt Lake City. The annual 11-day festival starting after Labor Day on historic fairgrounds also promises best in show livestock, clowns, and deep-fried delicacies.

Vermont

The annual Vermont Maple Festival, held in St. Albans in late April, is a celebration of all things maple— including the end of the hectic sugaring season—with syrup tastings and, of course, a pancake breakfast.

Virginia

The small town of Alberta in Brunswick County, Virginia, hosts the annual Taste of Brunswick Festival in October. You can taste the entries from its Brunswick Stew Cook-Off, held every fall at the 17th Street Farmers Market, where you can buy sample- or quart-size portions of stew from different makers.

Washington

Held each fall on the grounds of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, the three-day Wenatchee River Salmon Festival celebrates the return of the salmon to the sea from their freshwater spawning grounds. A collaborative project of Native American tribes throughout the Northwest showcases traditional fishing and cooking of salmon as well as storytelling and handicrafts.

West Virginia

Each year, around 100,000 people descend upon the small town of Kingwood during the final weekend of September for the Preston County Buckwheat Festival, including three parades, the coronation of King Buckwheat and Queen Ceres (goddess of agriculture), and endless stacks of buckwheat pancakes. These aren’t your ordinary flapjacks.

Wisconsin

The kolache, a pastry pillow or pocket stuffed with a sweet, gooey poppy seed or fruit filling, originated in Bohemia and is now popular in places where Czech migrants settled in America. The Agricultural Heritage Farm in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, hosts a summer Czech & Kolache Festival that includes polka, beer—and, of course, lots of kolache.

Wyoming

Elk antlers are collected from the National Elk Refuge near Jackson Hole to get the festivities started during the May Elkfest. Then a chili cook-off ensues, surrounded by auctions and conservation tours.

View Images

This map of state-by-state food festivals was adapted from National Geographic's new book, Great American Eating Experiences.
PUBLISHED July 20, 2016
View Images
When it comes to quirky food festivals, America stands united. Our cross-country map of state-by-state cuisine celebrations, adapted from National Geographic's new book, Great American Eating Experiences, takes you from Massachusett's fluffernutter fest to a garlic gathering in California (breath mints recommended). Plan a food-filled road trip to follow the locals to these top festivals highlighting regional specialities.

Alabama

The Peanut Boil Festival in Luverne includes much more than fresh goobers every September. Go nuts for the arts and crafts, beauty pageant, car show, and live music.

Alaska

Every May, the Kodiak Crab Festival celebrates one of Alaska’s most sought-after food items over five days of bacchanal, with cooking demonstrations by Alaska chefs using locally harvested seafood and wild greens.

Arizona

Everything you always wanted to know about lettuce is the focus of Yuma Lettuce Days, which unfolds each February at the University of Arizona Agriculture Center. A fresh-from-the-field salad bar featuring locally grown head, leaf, and romaine lettuce is one of the main attractions, but the leafy shindig also boasts cooking demonstrations, live music, and lectures.

Arkansas

Munch on a big and crunchy fried dill and watch, or better yet, enter the contests at Atkins Picklefest held each May. Locals find the power to inhale sour during the pickle-eating or pickle-juice drinking challenges.

California

Once misunderstood (too ethnic!) or even reviled (stinky!), the boldly flavored Allium sativum has come a long way to become an essential part of the American pantry. And no place in America wears its garlic pride like the agricultural city of Gilroy, the self-proclaimed “garlic capital of the world,” during the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival when dozens of vendors spare no flavor.

Colorado

The Great American Beer Festival in Denver allows visitors the chance to sample thousands of American craft beers. Judges separate the best suds from the duds during this three-day annual event held every fall.

Connecticut

Connecticut’s annual Milford Oyster Festival celebrates the wealth of East Coast oysters, harvested from Maine to Virginia. But the choicest of the 30,000 oysters (and clams) served on the half shell at this August event are those marked with a “CT.”

Delaware

Bridgeville, Delaware, home to the nation’s largest producer, RAPA Scrapple, goes all out with its annual Apple Scrapple Festival each October. Find all-you-can-eat scrapple breakfasts, scrapple carving, and scrapple chunkin’—a shot put–style contest where participants fling packages of scrapple as far as they can.

District of Columbia

Truckeroo is a monthly festival held April through October at the corner of Half Street and M Street SE, across from the Navy Yard metro station. It brings together more than 20 food trucks for a full day of live music, games, and tasty eats.

Florida

The annual Key Lime Festival in Key West around July 4 includes pie cooking demonstrations and competitions and the requisite key lime pie–eating contest. Plus, there’s ample opportunity to sample the goods along with key lime cocktails and locally distilled key lime rum.

Georgia

Held every June in Peach County, the weeklong Georgia Peach Festival includes the baking—and eating—of the world’s largest peach cobbler. The 11-by-5-foot dessert uses 75 gallons of fresh peaches. Festival events are held in Peach County’s two cities, Fort Valley and Byron.

Hawaii

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival takes place over 10 days in early November of each year, highlighting the region’s long coffee and cultural heritage. Daily coffee tastings, art strolls, and tours of working coffee farms are worth the buzz.

Idaho

Potato sack races, tuber tosses, tugs-of-war over a potato “mash pit,” and the Miss Russet beauty contest highlight September’s Idaho Spud Day in Shelley, on the banks of the Snake River.

Illinois

The Southern Illinois river town of Golconda throws a jumbo-size Shrimp Festival each September for sustainably farmed shrimp. Find cornhole tournaments, a Little Miss Shrimp pageant, and enough shrimp dishes to satisfy anyone's appetite.

Indiana

Persimmon passion peaks every year in September during the fruit’s namesake festival in Mitchell, Indiana. Expect a seriously small-town scene, complete with a parade, a candlelight tour of the town’s historic area, and the persimmon pudding competition.

Iowa

Bacon lovers rejoice at the Des Moines Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival every February. Go whole hog with lectures, eating competitions, and sizzling live entertainment.

Kansas

Proclaimed the “Spinach Capital of the World” during the 1930s, the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa celebrates the leafy green with a family-oriented Spinach Festival in September. Participants try to outdo their record for the largest spinach salad or pose for photo ops with Popeye and Olive Oyl.

Kentucky

The World Chicken Festival held each September in London honors Laurel County’s fried fowl heritage, since Kentucky Fried Chicken was invented nearby. Some 7,000 festival chicken dinners are fried annually in what’s billed as the world’s largest stainless steel skillet: a 700-pound pan that can cook 600 chicken quarters at a time.

Louisiana

November’s Oak Street Po-Boy Festival in Uptown New Orleans attracts nearly 60,000 sandwich lovers and more than 40 vendors selling a dizzying array of delicious po’boys stuffed with everything from German goulash to fried Maine lobster.

Maine

August’s blueberry harvest is a statewide celebration, but the Wilton Blueberry Festival is really top of the pick. The two-day event serves up pancake breakfasts, blueberry cook-offs, and plenty of pies to take home.

Maryland

Spice things up at the Old Bay Festival in Cockeysvile held in June. The state's signature flavor is showcased through competitions for the best seasoned dish and crab races.

Massachusetts

Don’t miss the annual September What the Fluff? festival in Somerville’s Union Square, where the gooey treat was invented. A marshmallow toss, musical performances, and the ultimate fluffernutter sandwiches are sure to stick.

Michigan

In early July, the eight-day National Cherry Festival attracts half a million people to Traverse City for events like the Cherry Pie Bike Ride (all participants get a free slice of cherry pie), orchard tours, cherry pie–eating contests, and the Make & Bake cherry pie workshop for children.

Minnesota

Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville, Minnesota, hosts a Native American–focused Wild Rice Festival each September where visitors can feast on wild rice pancakes, sausages, and “four sisters” soup made with corn, squash, beans, and wild rice.

Mississippi

The World Catfish Festival in Belzoni each April celebrates the city’s 1976 title as “farm-raised catfish capital of the world.” Events include a catfish fry, live blues and gospel music, and a catfish-eating contest.

Missouri

More than 600 teams vie every October to be top pitmaster at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City, Missouri. Juried categories cover everything from best sauce to best brisket, plus live entertainment and fireworks.

Montana

Pancake breakfasts and dessert contests are just part of the huckleberry-centric fun at the Trout Creek Huckleberry Festival each August. The community gathers for a parade, horseshoe contests, and dancing under the stars.

Nebraska

Hastings, Nebraska, puts on a sweet face to celebrate their invention of the flavored drink mix during Kool-Aid Days in August. Discover collectible exhibits, photo ops with the Man, drinking contests, and the world’s largest Kool-Aid stand.

Nevada

The culture and heritage of Greece shines at the annual Las Vegas Greek Food Festival in September. Attendees can join traditional dances to work off the gyros, souvlaki, and baklava served in abundance.

New Hampshire

The mid-October Milford Pumpkin Festival is the destination for all things pumpkin: the pumpkin weigh-in (winners top 1,300 pounds), the pumpkin catapult, the pumpkin lighting, and, of course, the pumpkin pie competition.

New Jersey

Trenton recently inaugurated the annual Pork Roll Festival to celebrate its unique culinary contribution. Vendors sell their favorite pork roll creations against a background of live music.

New Mexico

One of the best places to buy (and try) a wide variety of locally grown hot things is the Viva New Mexico Chile Festival in Los Lunas. In addition to a salsa contest and chili cook-off, the three-day event invites chili farmers to vend their green and red treasures at numerous stalls around the festival grounds.

New York

Lyons, in upstate New York, honors its sweet history as a main producer of peppermint oil during Peppermint Days every July. Families find tractor shows, historic tours, and amusement rides during the festival weekend.

North Carolina

Agriculture takes center stage at the Smithfield Ham & Yam Festival in May, with pig races and barbecue cook-offs. Hundreds of vendors gather around carnival rides and live entertainment.

North Dakota

Dust off your horned helmet and bring a Viking-size appetite if you’re heading to the Norsk Høstfest in Minot, which runs late September through early October. The five-day celebration includes concerts, dancing, and even a folk school teaching traditional crafts, but the biggest draw is the food since one third of North Dakotans have roots in Norway.

Ohio

The annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival is held each September in Albany, Ohio, just 20 miles from the border with West Virginia. The three-day fete features creative culinary inventions like pawpaw mustard, pawpaw tamales, and even pawpaw wheat beer.

Oklahoma

Tiny Bristow is a long way from Beirut, but it has been home to a large population of Lebanese immigrants for more than a century. Every May they celebrate Lebanon’s signature salad at the Tabouleh Fest, complete with a Miss Tabouleh pageant, belly dancers, and an all-you-can-eat Lebanese lunch prepared by local churches.

Oregon

Berry lovers rejoice in downtown Portland during July with the Oregon Berry Festival in full swing to highlight one of oldest berry industries in the country. Blackberry pies compete for top prize, a city celebrity chef hosts a gala dinner, and musicians jam out for the occasion.

Pennsylvania

A party for bean soup is not as odd as it sounds, since the McClure Bean Soup Festival held in September traces its roots to practical dinners organized by Civil War soldiers. Now baking contests, horse shows, and garden tractor pulls bring the community together.

Rhode Island

Clam chowder takes many forms from creamy New England style to the tomato-based soup in New York. Vistitors can taste them all during the Block Island Chowda' Fest in May, when island restaurants compete for the best bowl and a year of bragging rights.

South Carolina

The World Grits Festival held each April in St. George celebrates the small town’s collective appetite for grits. According to the locals, more grits are consumed per capita here than anywhere else in the world. The event includes the opportunity to roll in grits because . . . why not?

South Dakota

First buffalo are coralled in Custer State Park. Then local cooks compete during the Buffalo Wallow Chili Cook-Off taking place every October, with plenty of sampling opportunities for visitors.

Tennessee

The International Biscuit Festival and the aroma of fresh-baked biscuits draws more than 20,000 people into downtown Knoxville each May. Biscuit-based events include a contest with several categories, including sweet and savory, and samples for nibbling.

Texas

A 10-day salute to sausage takes place in November during the Wurstfest in New Braunfels. The fun links to the area's German heritage with plenty of beer and cheer.

Utah

Contests to choose the best funeral potatoes are a staple of the Utah State Fair, held every September in Salt Lake City. The annual 11-day festival starting after Labor Day on historic fairgrounds also promises best in show livestock, clowns, and deep-fried delicacies.

Vermont

The annual Vermont Maple Festival, held in St. Albans in late April, is a celebration of all things maple— including the end of the hectic sugaring season—with syrup tastings and, of course, a pancake breakfast.

Virginia

The small town of Alberta in Brunswick County, Virginia, hosts the annual Taste of Brunswick Festival in October. You can taste the entries from its Brunswick Stew Cook-Off, held every fall at the 17th Street Farmers Market, where you can buy sample- or quart-size portions of stew from different makers.

Washington

Held each fall on the grounds of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, the three-day Wenatchee River Salmon Festival celebrates the return of the salmon to the sea from their freshwater spawning grounds. A collaborative project of Native American tribes throughout the Northwest showcases traditional fishing and cooking of salmon as well as storytelling and handicrafts.

West Virginia

Each year, around 100,000 people descend upon the small town of Kingwood during the final weekend of September for the Preston County Buckwheat Festival, including three parades, the coronation of King Buckwheat and Queen Ceres (goddess of agriculture), and endless stacks of buckwheat pancakes. These aren’t your ordinary flapjacks.

Wisconsin

The kolache, a pastry pillow or pocket stuffed with a sweet, gooey poppy seed or fruit filling, originated in Bohemia and is now popular in places where Czech migrants settled in America. The Agricultural Heritage Farm in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, hosts a summer Czech & Kolache Festival that includes polka, beer—and, of course, lots of kolache.

Wyoming

Elk antlers are collected from the National Elk Refuge near Jackson Hole to get the festivities started during the May Elkfest. Then a chili cook-off ensues, surrounded by auctions and conservation tours.
View Images
This map of state-by-state food festivals was adapted from National Geographic's new book, Great American Eating Experiences.
View Images
When it comes to quirky food festivals, America stands united. Our cross-country map of state-by-state cuisine celebrations, adapted from National Geographic's new book, Great American Eating Experiences, takes you from Massachusett's fluffernutter fest to a garlic gathering in California (breath mints recommended). Plan a food-filled road trip to follow the locals to these top festivals highlighting regional specialities.

Alabama

The Peanut Boil Festival in Luverne includes much more than fresh goobers every September. Go nuts for the arts and crafts, beauty pageant, car show, and live music.

Alaska

Every May, the Kodiak Crab Festival celebrates one of Alaska’s most sought-after food items over five days of bacchanal, with cooking demonstrations by Alaska chefs using locally harvested seafood and wild greens.

Arizona

Everything you always wanted to know about lettuce is the focus of Yuma Lettuce Days, which unfolds each February at the University of Arizona Agriculture Center. A fresh-from-the-field salad bar featuring locally grown head, leaf, and romaine lettuce is one of the main attractions, but the leafy shindig also boasts cooking demonstrations, live music, and lectures.

Arkansas

Munch on a big and crunchy fried dill and watch, or better yet, enter the contests at Atkins Picklefest held each May. Locals find the power to inhale sour during the pickle-eating or pickle-juice drinking challenges.

California

Once misunderstood (too ethnic!) or even reviled (stinky!), the boldly flavored Allium sativum has come a long way to become an essential part of the American pantry. And no place in America wears its garlic pride like the agricultural city of Gilroy, the self-proclaimed “garlic capital of the world,” during the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival when dozens of vendors spare no flavor.

Colorado

The Great American Beer Festival in Denver allows visitors the chance to sample thousands of American craft beers. Judges separate the best suds from the duds during this three-day annual event held every fall.

Connecticut

Connecticut’s annual Milford Oyster Festival celebrates the wealth of East Coast oysters, harvested from Maine to Virginia. But the choicest of the 30,000 oysters (and clams) served on the half shell at this August event are those marked with a “CT.”

Delaware

Bridgeville, Delaware, home to the nation’s largest producer, RAPA Scrapple, goes all out with its annual Apple Scrapple Festival each October. Find all-you-can-eat scrapple breakfasts, scrapple carving, and scrapple chunkin’—a shot put–style contest where participants fling packages of scrapple as far as they can.

District of Columbia

Truckeroo is a monthly festival held April through October at the corner of Half Street and M Street SE, across from the Navy Yard metro station. It brings together more than 20 food trucks for a full day of live music, games, and tasty eats.

Florida

The annual Key Lime Festival in Key West around July 4 includes pie cooking demonstrations and competitions and the requisite key lime pie–eating contest. Plus, there’s ample opportunity to sample the goods along with key lime cocktails and locally distilled key lime rum.

Georgia

Held every June in Peach County, the weeklong Georgia Peach Festival includes the baking—and eating—of the world’s largest peach cobbler. The 11-by-5-foot dessert uses 75 gallons of fresh peaches. Festival events are held in Peach County’s two cities, Fort Valley and Byron.

Hawaii

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival takes place over 10 days in early November of each year, highlighting the region’s long coffee and cultural heritage. Daily coffee tastings, art strolls, and tours of working coffee farms are worth the buzz.

Idaho

Potato sack races, tuber tosses, tugs-of-war over a potato “mash pit,” and the Miss Russet beauty contest highlight September’s Idaho Spud Day in Shelley, on the banks of the Snake River.

Illinois

The Southern Illinois river town of Golconda throws a jumbo-size Shrimp Festival each September for sustainably farmed shrimp. Find cornhole tournaments, a Little Miss Shrimp pageant, and enough shrimp dishes to satisfy anyone's appetite.

Indiana

Persimmon passion peaks every year in September during the fruit’s namesake festival in Mitchell, Indiana. Expect a seriously small-town scene, complete with a parade, a candlelight tour of the town’s historic area, and the persimmon pudding competition.

Iowa

Bacon lovers rejoice at the Des Moines Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival every February. Go whole hog with lectures, eating competitions, and sizzling live entertainment.

Kansas

Proclaimed the “Spinach Capital of the World” during the 1930s, the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa celebrates the leafy green with a family-oriented Spinach Festival in September. Participants try to outdo their record for the largest spinach salad or pose for photo ops with Popeye and Olive Oyl.

Kentucky

The World Chicken Festival held each September in London honors Laurel County’s fried fowl heritage, since Kentucky Fried Chicken was invented nearby. Some 7,000 festival chicken dinners are fried annually in what’s billed as the world’s largest stainless steel skillet: a 700-pound pan that can cook 600 chicken quarters at a time.

Louisiana

November’s Oak Street Po-Boy Festival in Uptown New Orleans attracts nearly 60,000 sandwich lovers and more than 40 vendors selling a dizzying array of delicious po’boys stuffed with everything from German goulash to fried Maine lobster.

Maine

August’s blueberry harvest is a statewide celebration, but the Wilton Blueberry Festival is really top of the pick. The two-day event serves up pancake breakfasts, blueberry cook-offs, and plenty of pies to take home.

Maryland

Spice things up at the Old Bay Festival in Cockeysvile held in June. The state's signature flavor is showcased through competitions for the best seasoned dish and crab races.

Massachusetts

Don’t miss the annual September What the Fluff? festival in Somerville’s Union Square, where the gooey treat was invented. A marshmallow toss, musical performances, and the ultimate fluffernutter sandwiches are sure to stick.

Michigan

In early July, the eight-day National Cherry Festival attracts half a million people to Traverse City for events like the Cherry Pie Bike Ride (all participants get a free slice of cherry pie), orchard tours, cherry pie–eating contests, and the Make & Bake cherry pie workshop for children.

Minnesota

Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville, Minnesota, hosts a Native American–focused Wild Rice Festival each September where visitors can feast on wild rice pancakes, sausages, and “four sisters” soup made with corn, squash, beans, and wild rice.

Mississippi

The World Catfish Festival in Belzoni each April celebrates the city’s 1976 title as “farm-raised catfish capital of the world.” Events include a catfish fry, live blues and gospel music, and a catfish-eating contest.

Missouri

More than 600 teams vie every October to be top pitmaster at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City, Missouri. Juried categories cover everything from best sauce to best brisket, plus live entertainment and fireworks.

Montana

Pancake breakfasts and dessert contests are just part of the huckleberry-centric fun at the Trout Creek Huckleberry Festival each August. The community gathers for a parade, horseshoe contests, and dancing under the stars.

Nebraska

Hastings, Nebraska, puts on a sweet face to celebrate their invention of the flavored drink mix during Kool-Aid Days in August. Discover collectible exhibits, photo ops with the Man, drinking contests, and the world’s largest Kool-Aid stand.

Nevada

The culture and heritage of Greece shines at the annual Las Vegas Greek Food Festival in September. Attendees can join traditional dances to work off the gyros, souvlaki, and baklava served in abundance.

New Hampshire

The mid-October Milford Pumpkin Festival is the destination for all things pumpkin: the pumpkin weigh-in (winners top 1,300 pounds), the pumpkin catapult, the pumpkin lighting, and, of course, the pumpkin pie competition.

New Jersey

Trenton recently inaugurated the annual Pork Roll Festival to celebrate its unique culinary contribution. Vendors sell their favorite pork roll creations against a background of live music.

New Mexico

One of the best places to buy (and try) a wide variety of locally grown hot things is the Viva New Mexico Chile Festival in Los Lunas. In addition to a salsa contest and chili cook-off, the three-day event invites chili farmers to vend their green and red treasures at numerous stalls around the festival grounds.

New York

Lyons, in upstate New York, honors its sweet history as a main producer of peppermint oil during Peppermint Days every July. Families find tractor shows, historic tours, and amusement rides during the festival weekend.

North Carolina

Agriculture takes center stage at the Smithfield Ham & Yam Festival in May, with pig races and barbecue cook-offs. Hundreds of vendors gather around carnival rides and live entertainment.

North Dakota

Dust off your horned helmet and bring a Viking-size appetite if you’re heading to the Norsk Høstfest in Minot, which runs late September through early October. The five-day celebration includes concerts, dancing, and even a folk school teaching traditional crafts, but the biggest draw is the food since one third of North Dakotans have roots in Norway.

Ohio

The annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival is held each September in Albany, Ohio, just 20 miles from the border with West Virginia. The three-day fete features creative culinary inventions like pawpaw mustard, pawpaw tamales, and even pawpaw wheat beer.

Oklahoma

Tiny Bristow is a long way from Beirut, but it has been home to a large population of Lebanese immigrants for more than a century. Every May they celebrate Lebanon’s signature salad at the Tabouleh Fest, complete with a Miss Tabouleh pageant, belly dancers, and an all-you-can-eat Lebanese lunch prepared by local churches.

Oregon

Berry lovers rejoice in downtown Portland during July with the Oregon Berry Festival in full swing to highlight one of oldest berry industries in the country. Blackberry pies compete for top prize, a city celebrity chef hosts a gala dinner, and musicians jam out for the occasion.

Pennsylvania

A party for bean soup is not as odd as it sounds, since the McClure Bean Soup Festival held in September traces its roots to practical dinners organized by Civil War soldiers. Now baking contests, horse shows, and garden tractor pulls bring the community together.

Rhode Island

Clam chowder takes many forms from creamy New England style to the tomato-based soup in New York. Vistitors can taste them all during the Block Island Chowda' Fest in May, when island restaurants compete for the best bowl and a year of bragging rights.

South Carolina

The World Grits Festival held each April in St. George celebrates the small town’s collective appetite for grits. According to the locals, more grits are consumed per capita here than anywhere else in the world. The event includes the opportunity to roll in grits because . . . why not?

South Dakota

First buffalo are coralled in Custer State Park. Then local cooks compete during the Buffalo Wallow Chili Cook-Off taking place every October, with plenty of sampling opportunities for visitors.

Tennessee

The International Biscuit Festival and the aroma of fresh-baked biscuits draws more than 20,000 people into downtown Knoxville each May. Biscuit-based events include a contest with several categories, including sweet and savory, and samples for nibbling.

Texas

A 10-day salute to sausage takes place in November during the Wurstfest in New Braunfels. The fun links to the area's German heritage with plenty of beer and cheer.

Utah

Contests to choose the best funeral potatoes are a staple of the Utah State Fair, held every September in Salt Lake City. The annual 11-day festival starting after Labor Day on historic fairgrounds also promises best in show livestock, clowns, and deep-fried delicacies.

Vermont

The annual Vermont Maple Festival, held in St. Albans in late April, is a celebration of all things maple— including the end of the hectic sugaring season—with syrup tastings and, of course, a pancake breakfast.

Virginia

The small town of Alberta in Brunswick County, Virginia, hosts the annual Taste of Brunswick Festival in October. You can taste the entries from its Brunswick Stew Cook-Off, held every fall at the 17th Street Farmers Market, where you can buy sample- or quart-size portions of stew from different makers.

Washington

Held each fall on the grounds of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, the three-day Wenatchee River Salmon Festival celebrates the return of the salmon to the sea from their freshwater spawning grounds. A collaborative project of Native American tribes throughout the Northwest showcases traditional fishing and cooking of salmon as well as storytelling and handicrafts.

West Virginia

Each year, around 100,000 people descend upon the small town of Kingwood during the final weekend of September for the Preston County Buckwheat Festival, including three parades, the coronation of King Buckwheat and Queen Ceres (goddess of agriculture), and endless stacks of buckwheat pancakes. These aren’t your ordinary flapjacks.

Wisconsin

The kolache, a pastry pillow or pocket stuffed with a sweet, gooey poppy seed or fruit filling, originated in Bohemia and is now popular in places where Czech migrants settled in America. The Agricultural Heritage Farm in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, hosts a summer Czech & Kolache Festival that includes polka, beer—and, of course, lots of kolache.

Wyoming

Elk antlers are collected from the National Elk Refuge near Jackson Hole to get the festivities started during the May Elkfest. Then a chili cook-off ensues, surrounded by auctions and conservation tours.
View Images
This map of state-by-state food festivals was adapted from National Geographic's new book, Great American Eating Experiences.