Empire basks in the Second Annual Spear-It of Spring

Ashlea J. Walter
Sun contributor
Villagers and tourists came out of winter hibernation to celebrate together in Empire on May 20 and 21. The reason? Asparagus, of course. Thankfully, the weather committee for the Empire Asparagus Festival worked hard all winter to ensure a beautiful blue-sky weekend for the Second Annual fete to celebrate the Village of Empire’s favorite green vegetable.
A host of events made for Asparagus lovers brought hundreds of enthusiastic people to the idyllic hamlet of 400, at least doubling its size for a weekend. The day started out with a Fun Run/Walk meandering through the Village. Getting some exercise in the morning was highly recommended because of the plethora of opportunities for good eats at the festival later on. Ten gallons of Cream of Asparagus Soup were enjoyed by many, but after 45 minutes the last bowl had already been served. Luckily, attendees could indulge in deep-fried asparagus, a sale that benefited the Fresh Food Partnership, or asparagus brats to sate their hearty asparagus appetites.

Many other ways to enjoy the fresh locally grown vegetable were demonstrated at the Asparagus Cooking & Recipe contest at the Town Hall. Extremely creative cooks brought dozens of sweet and savory asparagus-based dishes to the contest. Winning dishes included Carol Vanderberg’s beautiful “Bad Ass-paragrass Casserole,” Judy Walter’s “Asparagus Sherry Cake,” and Jo Lynn Davis’ “Spicy Asparagus Soup.” Winners in the popular people’s choice category included Gerald Gorte’s “Asparagus Pie” and Jennifer Flynn’s “Asparagus Primavera.” Other dishes included Asparagus Potstickers, Chinese Asparagus, Asparagus Casseroles and many more.
It’s a wonder anyone had room left to enjoy even more asparagus, but they did. The Lion’s Club Asparagus Festival dinner served over 300 people. Guests were also able to enjoy a selection of Leelanau County wines at the wine tasting, including wines from Bel Lago, Black Star Farms and Ciccone Vineyards.
Perhaps people were able to continue to indulge after accompanying Robin Johnson on a guided Asparagus Garden Walk through the Village in the afternoon. There are at least a half dozen places in Empire where Asparagus has been planted, accompanied by carefully selected complimentary perennial plantings. Village residents Heidi and Paul Skinner, Robin Johnson and Jan Sikorski have been instrumental in the maintenance of the awe-inspiring Asparagus Gardens. Of course, they can’t even begin to rival the local Norconk Asparagus fields just south of Empire, but Villagers will continue to enjoy them for years and years to come.
Poems were written, art was created, songs were sung, dishes were slaved over, asparagus was picked, posters and t-shirts were printed, books were written. All for the love of local asparagus. If you haven’t come to witness it in person, you must write it in next year’s calendar as a must-see-to-believe event. By witnessing the parading of asparagus people, painting with asparagus, bobbing for asparagus or even the throwing of asparagus spears, one might conclude that thankfully, Empire does not take itself too seriously. A slight irreverence, with a dash of self deprecating humor, mixed in with hundreds of volunteer hours make the festival unique, fun-loving and just what we all need after a long, cold, dark winter.