Food for every taste

Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader Jerry Carston inside the stagecoach he restored for the Dogwood Festival. The stagecoach was build as a popcorn trailer for his step-father 30 years ago. Carston plans to use it to sell mini donuts and popcorn.
Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader Jerry Carston inside the stagecoach he restored for the Dogwood Festival. The stagecoach was build as a popcorn trailer for his step-father 30 years ago. Carston plans to use it to sell mini donuts and popcorn.

The sights, smells and tastes of Dogwood Festival food make the event something to be experienced with all the senses.

Food is an integral part of the festival atmosphere, whether it's the smell of funnel cakes wafting across the park, the sight of longtime vendor David Mitchell dressed in old-fashioned clothes making kettle corn in a giant cast iron pot, or the adventure of tasting new flavors such as bacon-wrapped hot dogs or alligator on a stick.

The festival's 22 food vendors offer something to suit everyone's taste buds, from old-fashioned favorites such as corn dogs, ice-cold root beer and fried pies, to trendy new flavors such as maple bacon funnel cakes, fish tacos with sriracha sauce and Panther's Blood snow cones.

Desserts and Drinks

Heath Whittey, of Heath's Funnel Cakes in Rogers, has a dessert-first mentality when it comes to festival eating.

"Festivals have special rules -- have dessert first and then eat later," he said.

Whittey reasons that if a person eats dessert first they can burn off the calories while they walk around the festival, then have a hearty meal before they head home.

"It's almost guilt free," he said.

Whittey's trailer sells old-fashioned funnel cakes and fresh-squeezed lemonade. He describes his funnel cakes as crispier and thinner than modern counterparts -- more like cake and less like donut.

"They're just made the way your grandmother would have made them for you in a skillet," he said.

Topping choices include powdered sugar, cinnamon glaze, chocolate and maple-bacon glaze.

New this year will be frozen Koolaid balls, Whittey said. He described them as little bites of flavored funnel cake with strawberry, grape or cherry flavoring.

Longtime vendors Jerry and Vicky Carsten have added a restored stagecoach to the three concession trailers they bring to the Dogwood Festival.

The wooden stagecoach, which will sell mini donuts and popcorn, was one of two that Jerry's step-father had built 35 years ago. The stagecoach was originally built to be a popcorn wagon, but it sat unused for the past 17 years. Jerry rediscovered the diamond in the rough at his cousin's house and worked tirelessly to restore it just in time for the Dogwood Festival.

"It's the cutest thing you ever saw," he said.

The stagecoach had to be taken completely apart all the way down to the axles. All of the glass, moldings, paint and even the wheels had to be restored.

Carsten's other dessert trailer will sell giant funnel cakes in original flavors such as red velvet, Oreo, Reese's candy, strawberry and chocolate. A new flavor, which promises to be an instant favorite, is maple bacon.

"The key is the combination of sweet and salty," Carson said. "The salt comes from the bacon and the sweet comes from the batter and the butter-cream icing."

David Jones, owner of Cold Creek Creamery of Springdale, has a mantra, "Eat more ice cream." He serves ice cream cones, sundaes and floats made with A&W Root Beer, Strawberry Crush and Orange Crush. The ice cream sundaes are made with chocolate, strawberry and caramel, he said.

Siloam Springs Panther fans can buy Panthers Blood-flavored shaved ice at Mt. Snow Shaved Ice, owned by Shelli McCarty. She also offers 42 flavors of frozen treats including several new flavors this year. In addition to shaved ice, McCarty's menu includes frozen lemonade, frozen sweet tea and iced cappuccino, as well as hot coffee and chocolate on cold days.

McCarty also has a specialty flavor not on her menu called the Salty Sally. She squeezes fresh lemon juice over shaved ice and adds a touch of salt.

"It's really refreshing in hot weather when you don't want anything sweet," she said.

Dippin Dots Ice Cream, a festival and fair standard, can be found at R&B Snowpit and Concession. The uniquely shaped balls of ice-cream are served at -42 degrees Fahrenheit.

Gary Preston of Galina, Mo., owner of Letha's Fried Pies, loves to watch customers bite into his fried pies for the first time.

"It's a joy to sit back and watch people take their first bite," Preston said. "They say 'oh wow!' and it ain't very long before the come back and say they want to have another one."

Preston uses his sister's vintage recipe for the fried pies, which come in flavors including cherry, coconut, peach, strawberry rhubarb, chocolate peanut butter, pecan, apricot and peach. The pies are fried on the spot. Preston describe the crust as "really, really flaky."

"If you like sweet stuff this is probably about the best fried pie you can ever put your mouth on," he said.

Snacks, treats and drinks

After eating dessert first, it's time to walk through the festival and enjoy the craft vendors, games and entertainment. There are plenty of vendors along the way that offer snacks, cool drinks and treats.

Refreshing Southern tea can be found at Bayou Bill Sweet Dixie Tea, a new vendor this year. The tea is served sweet or unsweet in 32 ounce collectible mugs. The metal mugs have a surprising ability to keep the tea cool for a really long time, according to Lana Foster, who owns the business with her husband, Joel, and 13-year-old son, Hayden.

The Fosters, who live in White Hall, Ark., started the business to give Haydem a chance to learn about entrepreneurship. The sweet tea booth gives Hayden a chance to learn how to work and earn money, Lana said.

Mike's Fresh Roasted Nuts, a much-loved favorite of the Dogwood Festival, is making a comeback this year. The vendor was absent from the 2014 festival because Mike Leshe, who owned the business with his wife, LaDonna, died earlier in the year. LaDonna is bringing the business back to Siloam Springs this year.

"My son is helping me with it," she said. "I'm very happy to be coming back."

Mike's Fresh Roasted Nuts uses a German process to roast almonds, pecans, cashews and peanuts. The nuts are roasted with cinnamon, salt and some chocolate, LaDonna said. The roasting process was developed in the 1950s for the Munich Olympics. Street vendors in Europe and New York still use the same process.

Mitchell Kettle Corn, owned by David and Janet Mitchell of Edina, Mo., specializes in making kettle corn the old-fashioned way. The food vendor has been a part of the Dogwood Festival since 1994.

David, Janet and their employees dress in old-fashioned costumes and make kettle corn, popcorn and sweet treats in a huge iron pot.

"If anybody wants to see how it's made or sample it -- come by our tent," David said.

Jerry and Vicky Carston's second trailer features foot-long corn dogs, deep fried Snickers, fresh lemonade, nachos and gourmet pretzels topped with cinnamon and sugar, or salt and cheese.

Fresh roasted corn on the cob, dipped in butter and seasonings, is the specialty at Shuckin Delicious Corn, owned by Johnny Wall of Highfill. Wall takes corn still on the husk and roasts it over a big barbecue grill for 30 or 45 minutes. Then the corn shucks are pulled back and the corn is dipped in butter and covered in seasonings such as lemon pepper, chili-lime or salt and pepper.

Dan Watson, of Down Home Kettle Corn and Pork Rinds in Mountain Home, uses a secret blend of light caramel and salt on his kettle corn. He pops his corn on-site in a 140-quart stainless steel kettle. Watson also sells four flavors of pork rinds, including barbecue, regular, Cajun and chili-lime.

Ice cold homemade root beer can be found at Billy Jack's Root Beer. The business uses an old family recipe to make traditionally brewed root beer. It is served "ice, ice cold" directly from oak barrels and bottled individually for each customer.

Stick-to-your-ribs food

After a long day touring the festival it's time to eat some stick-to-your-ribs food before heading home.

Stan Green, of Green's Buckboard Grill, wants to make eating at the festival a special treat for his customers. Green, who is returning to the Dogwood Festival for the second time, said his favorite and most fun item is fish tacos. The soft flour tortillas are filled with beer-battered tilapia topped with fresh coleslaw mix, minus the sauce, and covered in Green's own sriracha dressing.

"They're delicious," Green said.

All of Green's items are creative and unique. His food is made fresh to order. He offers fried green tomatoes, Cajun-fried pickles and deep-fried mushrooms. His chicken sandwiches, topped with his homemade dressings such as basil bacon mayonnaise and chipotle mayonnaise, are also a customer favorite.

Green also offers fried baloney sandwiches, turkey legs, and homemade sausage.

A&J Concession stand will have two trailers at the festival. Barbecued turkey legs are a best seller at the concession's first trailer, according to owner Joe Jones. Also popular are brisket and pork sandwiches and polish sausage.

At Jones' second trailer Indian tacos are a customer favorite. The fried homemade bread is topped with chili and beans, onions, lettuce and tomato. All-beef giant corn dogs and nachos are also crowd pleasers, he said.

The third Carston concession trailer will feature alligator on a stick, Philly cheese steak, gyros, curly fries and rib-eye steak sandwiches, fresh squeezed lemonade and sweet tea.

Gary's Concession Stand offers loaded grilled potatoes, Philly cheese steak and sausages.

Fried rice, cashew chicken, and egg rolls can be found at Ying Chang's Hmong and Chinese Food of Fayetteville. This will be the food trailer's second year at the festival, according to Abby Xiong, daughter of owner Ying Chang. Grilled pork steaks and orange chicken are best sellers at most events, Xiong said.

Louisiana on Wheels, which offers customers a taste of authentic Cajun food, specializes in south Louisiana favorites such as crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, bread pudding and alligator on a stick.

"We just try to do the basics -- meat and tators," said Wayne Benbow, who owns the food trailer along with his wife, Kay. Crawfish etouffee is a best seller at the Dogwood Festival, Wayne said. He has several return customers that order etouffee by the gallon every year to take home for family gatherings, he said.

Siloam Springs High School's Project Graduation sells smoked chicken dinners, baked potatoes and nachos for a good cause.

"Project Graduation is basically like our version of an after party for graduates during the night (after graduation)," said organizer Tammi Dorsey, comparing the event to a final class party. The goal of the event, which begins at 10 p.m. and ends at 4 a.m, is to keep kids in a safe environment with no drugs or alcohol, just fun. The party includes laser tag, a DJ and inflatables.

Customers can stop by the concession stand to purchase food throughout the entire festival. Project Graduation will also deliver chicken dinners to businesses that have more than five employees who are buying meals. Susan Ruede will accept orders via call or text message at 479-228-2191.

Community on 04/22/2015