Schenectady County residents should prepare themselves for a day of Jewish delights, including kosher dishes of brisket, salads and barbecue; music, crafts and synagogue tours at the 29th annual Carrot Festival Sunday, Sept. 9, sponsored by the Congregation Agudat Achim.
According to Anita Merims, who has been a Carrot Festival volunteer since its inception, the festival celebrates the beginning of the Jewish holidays and is an end-of-summer community celebration especially for Niskayuna residents.
I call this Nisky’s fall festival. They have Niska Day in the spring and they have the Carrot Festival in the fall, Merims said.
The festival began as a fundraiser for the synagogue and included mostly local produce from the Schoharie Valley and local musical groups. Now it has grown to include professional musicians, crafters and a lot more food.
Merims said the volunteers are expecting between 3,000 and 4,000 people, so they have baked about 1,000 pieces of the festival’s signature carrot cake and about 400 carrot cake loaves.
Unlike the Greek and Italian churches in Schenectady County that hold their expansive festivals for entire weekends, Congregation Agudat Achim hosts a one-day celebration on Sunday so that Jews can adhere to the rule of not working on the Sabbath, which is Saturdays.
`I really respect the Greek churches and Italian groups that can start their festivals on Thursdays,` Merims said. `We can’t even start on Friday nights, so we can’t bring in the more professional rides and games.`
Another challenge for the Carrot Festival volunteers is every ingredient used to make the food has to be kosher and must be prepared and cooked in the synagogue’s kitchen.
`We have been baking for the past two weeks,` Merims said. `Now we are working on preparing the rest of the food.`
The volunteers who prepare the food for the Carrot Festival are seasoned experts. According to festival co-chair Hillary Fink, the group is renowned for its kosher cuisine and has cooked at the governor’s mansion and for the state Legislature.
The festival still holds onto its roots though, selling locally grown produce, plants and flowers along with pre-packaged meals. Fink said about three dozen artisans will be selling jewelry and various other crafts.
The band Geo and the Komrades is scheduled to perform during the day with other local musical groups. Magic 100.9, the festival’s sponsor, is broadcasting live from the synagogue.
Another aspect of the festival is the various health displays. Fink said local medical professionals are scheduled to give mini seminars on health and offer medical screening tests, including one for blood pressure. Volunteers from the Niskayuna Police Department will offer child seat safety checks.
Festivalgoers will also have he opportunity to take a tour of the 115-year-old synagogue, where there will be a display about its early history including historic pictures, documents and artifacts, Merims said.
`It’s going to be a good day,` Merims said. `People can visit the crafters, look around at the nice building, meet a lot of their friends, grab some food and listen to good music.`
Congregation Agudat Achim is located at 2117 Union St. at Route 7 in Niskayuna. The festival is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9, and is free to the public. Visitors who make a $2 per-car donation will be entered into a raffle for a special prize package.
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