Chew parsley, they say. [The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.]

Aug. 27--Chew parsley, they say.

Drink water spiked with lemon juice.

Oh, here's a good one: Rub oil of peppermint on the bottom of your feet, so it will be absorbed through your skin.

All these tricks are remedies, passed down through folklore, designed to rid you of any dragon breath you might experience after a date with the King of Herbs, also known as garlic.

But run these ideas past Paula Willis, and she'll sound genuinely perplexed.

"What do you mean, bad breath?" she said innocently. "There's nothing to disguise."

Willis speaks like a true garlic aficionado, and welcomes other fans of the strongly flavored cloves to the Keystone State Hot and Stinky Garlic & Herb Festival set for Saturday and Sunday at Zanolini Nursery & Country Shop on St. Johns Road in Drums.

Here you'll find lots of locally grown garlic, garlic-infused food ranging from garlic ice cream to corn on the cob served with garlic butter, folk music, a ticket auction and three spicy contests. There will be a hot pepper eating contest at 1 p.m. Saturday, a chili cook-off with judging set for 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday, and, off course, a garlic-eating contest from noon to 1 p.m. Sunday.

Last year's winner, Alan Peters of New Jersey reportedly downed 40 raw cloves in 2009 and is expected to return to defend his title.

Food also figures prominently in Plymouth Alive's annual Kielbasa Festival, where Polish sausage, both smoked and fresh, will be just part of the menu today and tomorrow.

"You could gain yourself 30 pounds here," long-time Plymouth resident Al Celmer cautioned. "Funnel cakes. Potato pancakes. You name it, it's here."

Volunteers from his church, Good Shepherd Polish National Catholic, have been making pierogies, halushki and baked goods to sell at their stand, which will be one of many.

"It's a big bazaar on the street," said Celmer, who turns 82 on Saturday. "The best part is meeting different people from all walks of life. Families come with their kids, pushing strollers and double strollers. The kids walk around with cotton candy. It's like a big picnic atmosphere. People finish one thing and say, 'let's try another.' "

Kielbasa itself is a star of the event, and judges will taste the entries in the annual kielbasa contest at 1 p.m. Saturday at Franchella's Restaurant & Pub on Main Street.

Speaking of competition, experts of all kinds will prove their mettle at the upcoming area fairs. Whether your forte is pulling heavy weights via tractor, baking apple pie or concocting homemade ice cream, there's a contest for you at the Sullivan County Fair in Forksville. If you're between the ages of 7 and 15, there's even a chance to catch a greased pig 12:30 p.m. Sept. 5.

The Kiwanis Wyoming County Fair in Meshoppen boasts its share of tractor pulls and demolition derbies, too, along with activities as varied as wool-spinning demonstrations and a high-school rodeo. Performing in concert will be country singer Jo Dee Messina (at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5) and Twelve Twenty-Four, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tribute band (at 7 p.m. Sept. 4).

Back in Luzerne County, meanwhile, the Arts at Hayfield Summer Festival will celebrate arts and crafts as diverse as blacksmithing, wheat weaving, pottery making and paper cutting as well as the 100th anniversary of Hayfield Farm, which Wyoming Valley native and industrialist John N. Conyngham II began to build in 1910.

The grand residence Hayfield House, known for its golden bathroom fixtures and a striking spiral staircase, will be open for tours during the Sunday event.

"Over the years hundreds of people have come out of tours saying 'Gee I wish I could have seen it when it had its original furnishings," Penn State communications instructor Bill Bachman said.

Bachman heard that wish and has worked to grant it, producing a DVD that includes vintage images shot by a German photographer who was fascinated by the concept of "gentleman farming."

"The house opened for Thanksgiving 1933 and these pictures were taken between May 1934 and October 1934," Bachman said. "It really is a walk back in time."

The DVD also includes black-and-white interviews from the 1960s, when John N. Conyngham III, nephew and namesake of the farm's founder, gave the land to Penn State. There are also recollections by Trucksville native Louise Schooley Hazletine, a Conyngham family friend who watched the house being built.

"Some of this stuff is oral history and you don't want to lose it," Bachman said, adding that viewers will learn about John N. Conyngham II's keen interest in horses, Scottish Highland cattle and Sardinian donkeys as well as the insistence of his wife, Bertha, that fresh flowers be displayed in every room.

"It's just a magnificent property," Bachman said. "We don't want to lose sight of our roots."

The DVD is available for $20, and will be just one of many items you might want to consider taking home from the festival. The Arts at Hayfield event also includes live entertainment and opportunities to look through the telescope in the Friedman Observatory on campus.

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