Mustard Festival

[raisethehammer]

Hamilton's annual MustardFest is this weekend downtown at Ferguson Station - Rebecca St.
www.mustardfestival.ca

Food vendors, arts, crafts, great music and a sweet vibe in the heart of downtown.
Enjoy!!

[raisethehammer]

tonight is the night!
If you don't go to any of the Mustard Fest, make tonight at 9:30 your one visit.
Sat night is always the highlight of the festival with the TO All--Star Jazz Band.
The weather is perfect, the crowds will be huge and the corn will be delicious!

[emge]

last-minute i decided to go tonight - just for that show! my husband already had other plans, but i really enjoyed hearing the big band.

having only moved here last year, i was also surprised how many people i saw that i knew -- that was really nice. And the corn WAS delicious!

[raisethehammer]

yea, that show was amazing. Those guys are great.
I'll be there tomorrow for dinner and the final night.
It's a great spot for a festival. Shows off downtown Hamilton quite nicely.
I saw a lot of pedestrian activity up and down King East last night and tonight as well...the Intolerant Gallery had a good number of folks coming and going at 11pm both nights.

[SteelTown]

Entrepreneur Ecklund buys Mustard Festival

By Kevin Werner, News Staff
Business
Jan 28, 2010
http://www.hamiltonmountainnews.com/news/article/201151

Mountain entrepreneur Chris Ecklund has recently purchased the 12-year old downtown Mustard Festival.

Ecklund said the Hamilton International Village BIA board of directors recently gave the approval to sell the festival to Ecklund. The local businessman, who has been selling Hamilton as the City of Waterfalls, through his website, and by other means, would not disclose the price tag for the festival.

“It gives me another opportunity to promote Hamilton to the rest of the world,” said Ecklund. “You know me, you either go big or you go home.”

Ecklund said he had a few ideas to make the festival a destination for visitors and at the same time show people how great Hamilton has become.

The Mustard Festival finished its 12th year in 2009, attracting about 15,000 people over the three-day period over the Labour Day weekend.

The festival began in 1998 and is held every year at the Ferguson Station on Ferguson Avenue North between King Street East and King William Street in downtown Hamilton.

The festival recognizes Hamilton as home to G. S. Dunn and Co., world’s largest miller of dry mustard. The event attracts the areas top blues and jazz acts, including the Toronto All- Star Big Band, and Hamilton’s own Sonny Del Rio, and hosts a wide-variety of activities including cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs, an assortment of food booths that uses mustard in their food, an arts and crafts section, and a kids carnival area.

[FRM]

why can't these crazies just stay in there suburbs and leave our downtown alone !:slob:

[coalminecanary]

here comes the waterfall festival!

[bigguy1231]

why can't these crazies just stay in there suburbs and leave our downtown alone !:slob:

At least that crazy is putting his money where his mouth is. Which is more than can be said of alot of people. Love him or hate him at least he is trying to do something for this city rather than sitting back and being critical of every effort being made to try and improve this city.

As for him living in the suburbs, the last I heard he lives on the central mountain. He and his wife both own businesses in the downtown. His wife and her brother own Blueline cabs. They both employ people downtown.

[drpgq]

Good luck to him. I never expected the Mustard Festival to be worth buying, but maybe he can increase turnout and make into a larger event.

[realcity]

So now it's the Douche bag festival

[BrianE]

I wish people wouldn't give Ecklund such a hard time. Maybe I'm just ignorant of his personality or of some of the things he's done. But he is doing something positive at least.

As local residents we may find his promotions to be annoying and maybe even embarassing. Which is understandable since we get bombarded the most by his messages. But for anybody outside of this area in say Toronto or London, the in your face promotions are watered down to a quiet, occasional, respectful invitation to come visit Hamilton.

[SteelTown]

^ :iagree:

[emge]

yeah, i'd agree. the waterfall-specific stuff is good promo for Hamilton in the end. as irritating as we may find it and whether or not you like him personally.

basically for anyone outside of the area, what they see is a small something (even a stupid jingle about waterfalls) that gives an association of Hamilton with something positive. perhaps he can carry that on with other things.

again, i don't know much about him personally, and a lot of people who do don't like him. i'm just talking about the promo stuff.

[realcity]

He's a self-serving, self promoter. He will do things and only do things if THE WHOLE CITY knows about how great he his. Hey, whatever happened to the money for Hamilton Conservation Authority he was going to give? O that's right he took it back because even Conservation Hamilton thought the waterfalls branding was lame. and he took it personally and took his ball back.

I guess you have to meet him or at least be in the same room as the guy. Maybe you don't need to. just read his website, written in the third person... its hilarious.

The waterfalls capital of the world is embarrassing. It's so lame. The real waterfalls capital of the world is 40 minutes down the QEW. No one or no company is going to locate here because of few boring inaccessible waterfalls.