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There are plenty of reasons to visit Kipona Festival, Harrisburg’s annual last gasp of summer celebration.
Maybe it’s daredevil performances by wire walkers, canoe races or the Native American Pow-Wow. For some, it’s simply an excuse to stroll along the Susquehanna River, do a little people watching and catch some rays.
But we all can admit, the food is what really draws us to the riverbank.
With dozens of vendors set up along Riverfront Park on Front Street, there is no shortage of festival grub, from traditional pizza and barbecue to offbeat selections such as ice cream whoopie pie sandwiches, cheeseburger wontons and cheese curds.
There’s plenty of time to visit the festival. It runs for three days through Sept. 2 along Riverfront Park as well as on City Island.
Here’s a look at some of the foods:
Sampler platter from Dump N Roll
All the way from Philadelphia, Dump N Roll skipped this year’s Made in America Festival to pull up its wheels and come to Kipona. The mobile vendor takes visitors around the globe with its full menu of dumplings, spring rolls and egg rolls. For Kipona, it is sticking to a limited menu. We suggest you order a sampler so you can try everything including the smoked truffle oil fries with scallion, parmesan, fresh garlic and roasted garlic truffle aioli. We were entranced by the Ooey Gooey Mac Roll, an East meets West creation that rolls creamy mac n’ cheese inside a perfectly deep-fried crispy egg roll. Also don’t leave without trying the Holy Phuc Wonton, a tempura turkey bacon cheeseburger wonton.
Cheese curds from The Cow and the Curd
The Cow and the Curb brings a Midwest tradition to the East Coast. They source their cheese curds from Wisconsin and coat them in a beer batter. They fry them to perfection. The result is a gooey snack with a crispy outer shell. The curds sell for $10 a cup with a choice of dipping sauces – Sriracha mayonnaise, chipotle ranch or smoked ketchup.
Whoopie pies from Makin’ Whoopie Pies
Straight from Hershey, Makin’ Whoopie Pies delivers a sweet take on the Pennsylvania Dutch treats. You create your own whoopie pie from a dizzying menu of cookie flavors – chocolate, pumpkin, blueberry or red velvet, among others, as well as fillings, from peanut butter fudge to salted caramel and mint chocolate chip. The combinations are endless. Don’t want a traditional whoopie pie? Order an ice cream cookie whoopie with choice of Turkey Hill Ice Cream flavors chocolate, mint chocolate chip, vanilla or cookies & cream.
Empanadas from Fuego Latino
Fresh off of selling more than 3,500 empanadas at the Elizabethtown Fair, Fuego Latino has brought its treats to Harrisburg. Fuego Latino is based in Elizabethtown where it operates a restaurant. The empanadas – basically, packages of half-moon shaped dough with fillings – are some of the biggest sellers. Pick from chicken and cheese or beef and cheese for $3. Fuego Latino also sells tacos, bowls , taquitos and churros.
Hot dogs from Van Pelt Hot Dog Co.
These are no ordinary hot dogs. Van Pelt from Green Lane sells handcrafted hot dogs paired with homemade toppings. You can’t go wrong with any of the dogs from The Jammer topped with a bourbon bacon jam, gorgonzola cheese, arugula and pickled red onion to The New Yorker topped with sauerkraut, chopped onion and brown mustard. All together, they sell eight different hot dogs. Be sure to order a side of loaded tater tots with bacon, cheddar cheese, Ranch and scallions.
Grilled cheese from We Be Cheesin’
Straight-up simple grilled cheese sandwiches never tasted so good. We Be Cheesin’ is based in Selinsgrove and sells nothing but grilled cheese sandwiches. For Kipona, they brought seven variations, from a three-cheese made with mozzarella, Muenster and Colby Jack to a pizza grilled cheese with pepperoni, pizza sauce and mozzarella. Sandwiches sell for $6-$7. They also sell a kids grilled cheese for $4.
Porchetta sandwich from Mamma Mia Fusion
This Delaware-based food truck has won several awards for its food at the Delaware Park Food Truck Faceoff. You’ll want to bite into the porchetta sandwich made from slow-roasted Italian pork topped with asiago cheese and served with potato chips. It sells for $9. Otherwise, try the Key West Tacos with coconut shrimp and Caribbean salsa or the Gorilla Fries with hatch green chili queso and smoked bacon.
Pierogies from Rosie’s Pierogies
The best part about Rosie’s is you can order as many pierogi as you want. Rosie’s sells pierogi for a $1 a piece. Pick from traditional potato and cheese pierogi or more adventurous flavors – jalapeno or bacon. Rosie’s is based in State College and owner Ashley Hamilton uses a recipe passed down from her grandmother, Rosie.
Cookie dough from Dough and Co.
Pure bliss in a dish. If you always want to lick the spoon when you make cookies, stop by Dough and Co. The Lancaster company scoops homemade cookie dough in flavors such as Lancaster Batch, a Nutella, chocolate chip, caramel and sea salt combination. We dipped our spoons into a single scoop and could not stop eating this treat. It’s super addictive as it should be. Other flavors include chocolate chip, peanut butter Oreo and Monster. Prices range from $4-$9.
The Kipona Festival runs until 8 p.m. Aug. 31, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sept. 1 and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 2.
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