It may seem hard to believe, but bacon candy corn is real and is among the bacony-sweet treats being offered at Lucan Baconfest.
The sixth edition of the annual festival that brings pork lovers and motorcycle enthusiasts together kicks off in the small town north of London at 10 a.m. on Saturday. More than 30,000 people are expected to attend the one-day event.
"It is a lot of people to invite to a party," Lucan Biddulph Mayor Cathy Burghardt-Jesson said with a laugh. "There is so much to do from one end of Main Street to the other and we welcome all of our friends. There is bacon, bikes, lots to see and do, and we really do hope to see everyone there."
Baconfest began in 2013 as a customer appreciation event for Hogtown Cycles and has grown consistently year-after-year into the massive community celebration it is now.
The day begins with the "blessing of the bikes" and opening ceremonies on the Main Street stage. A classic car show will be held on Market Street, while a kids zone will be set up in Market Street park. Daredevil Jordan Szoke performs his street freestyle show at 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. There will be live music and entertainment at the Lucan Legion and within the beer garden at Hogtown Cycles.
With Environment Canada forecasting temperatures to climb to 30 C during the day, attendees will be pleased to know there will be a misting station and water bottle refill buggy.
Nearly 50 food vendors will be serving up their own unique bacon dishes, but the exact menus haven't been made public.
"Everybody is holding everything pretty close to the vest about what is going to be the new bacon treat to be had," said Burghardt-Jesson. "We are not really hearing a lot about what is going to be served up but we are expecting a lot of bacon butter tarts, bacon candy corn, bacon popcorn, anything and everything wrapped in bacon."
In the evening the hottest ticket in town will be the Baconfest outdoor concert at the local community centre. Canadian country singer Eric Ethridge will headline the show. River Junction Band, Buck Twenty, and East Adelaide will each take the stage prior to Ethridge. Tickets, which are $25 in advance or $30 at the door, are required for the show, but otherwise, Baconfest is free to attend.
A full list of Baconfest events, times, and locations can be found by clicking here.