Wagar Oogarah Farm three-peats at Verona Garlic Festival

Jeff Green | Sep 06, 2019

For the third year in a row, Dorothy and Viren Oogarah of Wagar Oogarah Farm near Centreville took home the top prize at the Verona Garlic Festival.

Saturday’s event was the 23rd annual edition of the Festival, which was started by Garlic Guru Paul Pospisil.

Oogarah took first in three of the four categories (best braid, collection of 12 and five different varieties) and came third in best individual bulb for the win.

Reserve prize (aka second place) went to Catherine Cheff for the second year and third went to Marcel LaMarre.

Oogarah said her entries were primarily Porcelain Continental.

“But this was the poorest year ever for growing garlic,” she said. “A thousand bulbs did not come up and what did come up was small.

“Except for the Continental.”

She said they lost 25 per cent of their crop to winter kill.

Last year, her best varieties were Artichoke and Turbans, she said.

“You never can tell,” she said.

She said they’d definitely be back next year to defend not only their record but also to try and tie Forest Farms’ four-in-a-row record from 2010 through 2013. Forest Farms’ Dave Hahn also won in 2006 and 2008.

NFU representative Dianne Dowling said: “It’s an accomplishment to win. You have to enter a number of categories (four this year).”

Pospisil said Dowling has been “worth her weight in gold for all her help and they’ve sponsored this event since we came to Verona.

“Kim Perry of Local Family Farms was a big help in the early days when we were at the Frontenac Farmers Market but she had other responsibilities that ate into her time,” Pospisil said. “She told me ‘we’re beef people,’”

There was some question as to whether Pospisil would be well enough to handle the emcee duties this year, but there he was.

“When he got here, he told me ‘you’ll have to do the announcing,” said John McDougall. “But as soon as we started, he grabbed the mike.

“There’s been a steady stream of people sitting with him all day.”

Pospisil acknowledged that he’s looking for someone to take over the Festival, suggesting this would probably be his last at the helm.

“Next year? I have no idea,” he said. “I’m looking for someone to take over the awards . . . and to publish The Garlic News.

“It’s a very well paid position — like nothing.”

(Editors note - We are sad to report that three days after this photo was taken, on Tuesday, September, Paul Pospisil passed away. He was suffering from Pancreatic Cancer - we will have more on Maberly's "garlic guru" in next week's Frontenac News)