Natural Delights To Host Medjool Date Festival

The Yuma Medjool Date Festival is around the corner. Attendees can learn about first-hand, the history, harvesting practices and fun facts behind the world’s oldest fruit. Co-organizer and host Natural Delights will take over Yuma’s Main Street on November 15 to make way for 15,000 guests, including Yuma residents and date lovers from across the country, to attend the Medjool Date Festival. The event will include a Medjool date recipe demonstrations and contests, an art exhibition, presentations from the Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association, and tours of the majestic Bard Valley date gardens and Datepac packing facility. “As the love for Medjool dates grows through trial and culinary exploration, so does this event,” says Dave Anderson, director of marketing for Natural Delights. “Each year, the Bard Valley Date Growers invite the public into their ‘home’ to experience, first-hand, what it’s  like to harvest Medjool dates. It’s hard not to have a deeper appreciation for the fruit once you see the care and attention given by each grower.” Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association is responsible for 80% percent of the country’s Medjool date crop. Like any great Saturday morning, the Festival will begin with coffee and Medjool date muffins, followed by a day of education and fun, including special appearances from Yuma Mayor Nicholls, Miss Yuma County and Miss Medjool, herself. Festival guests will have many opportunities to compete for prizes, including a $500 grand prize for winning the Medjool Date Recipe Contest. Local elementary school students will compete for a class pizza party with their art submissions and additional money from the festival will go toward a scholarship fund for local colleges. Admission is free to the public, and submissions for the Medjool Date Recipe Contest and Youth Art Exhibit are still being accepted.