World Series Trophy Coming to Onion Festival

Pack Date Set April 12

mrandolphadvance@gmail.com

The 2022 Vidalia Onion Festival Committee is thrilled to offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Air Show Attendees, as the World Series Trophy, which was won by the Atlanta Braves last year, will be available for a photo opportunity from noon until 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, at the Vidalia Airport.

“This is the chance of a lifetime,” Vidalia Onion Festival Committee Chairman Andy Woodruff commented. “We had the opportunity to see the Braves win the World Series this past year, which has not been a common occurrence within the franchise. Getting to see the trophy and be able to take part in this piece of sports history is amazing for fans in this area.” continued from page

Interacting with the trophy will be free to the public, as the only cost for participants is the cost of entry into the Air Show. Photos will be available by a professional photographer provided by the Atlanta Braves, and cell phone photos may be taken.

The trophy will be brought in with a Georgia State Patrol escort, and no tickets will be required for this opportunity. Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper spoke on the unique feature for this year’s Onion Festival. “This is an incredible announcement that Vidalia will be part of the Braves World Series Trophy Tour,” he remarked. “There are a couple of promises I can make you: our Vidalia Onion Growers rival the work ethic of our Atlanta Braves to produce worldclass onions year-end and year-out. Secondly, championships don’t come easy and neither do our world famous Vidalia Onions. Our community, along with anyone else willing to travel, have an opportunity to celebrate the sweetness of their labor and our Braves World Series Championship during our Vidalia Onion Festival.”

He concluded, “Come join us for a fun-packed weekend that includes country music artist Lee Brice, the Blue Angels, plenty of onions and a photo opportunity with our home state’s World Series Trophy.”

Vidalia Onion Pack Date

Georgia Agricultural Commissioner Gary W. Black and the Vidalia Onion Committee have announced that the official packing date for Vidalia Sweet Onions will be April 12. This date comes one week before the Vidalia Onion Festival, and marks the beginning of the 2022 Vidalia Onion Season. Black commented on this staple crop of Georgia. “Cultivated for more than 80 years, Vidalia Onions mean a great deal to the state of Georgia, earning a renowned reputation for their sweet, distinct flavor and versatility and being used by chefs and home cooks alike,” he said. Vidalia Onion Committee Chairman Cliff Riner also spoke on the product. “In the 2022 season, approximately 10,000 acres of Vidalia Onions were planted by 60 registered farmers across 20 southeastern Georgia counties,” he noted. Riner said that Vidalia Onions make up 40% of sweet onions sold in America, and that the produce is sold in every state in the nation, as well as Canada.

Other Onion Festival Updates

This year, the usual Friday night Vidalia Onion Festival street dance will be held on Saturday to help accommodate security for both concert headliner Lee Brice and Air Show headliners the Blue Angels.

Tickets are currently on sale for both the Air Show and the Concert, which will both be held at the Vidalia Airport and surrounding areas. Lee Brice will perform on Friday, April 22, at the Airport, and the Air Show will occur the following Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night, the Geek Squad will travel to Vidalia from Atlanta to entertain at the Street Dance, which will be followed by fireworks. On April 21, the Children’s Parade and Movie Under the Stars will occur at the Vidalia City Park stage. Woodruff said that the Leadership Georgia campaign will be in the area at this time, which will add 300-400 attendees to this event. These new participants will do an introduction and welcome to the city at the stage at City Park on this night, which will lead into the other planned events for this Vidalia Onion Festival kickoff.

The annual carnival will be in the adjacent lot to the Air Show from Thursday to Sunday, and the Arts and Crafts Festival will be behind the Vidalia Community Center in its normal space on Saturday and Sunday.

Planning will continue until the festival, as the Festival Committee meets twice this month and every week until the festival in April. New downtown events will be announced closer to the event, such as a wine tasting at the Pal Theatre.