SEPT. 3-5
WEST JEFFERSON, Ohio
Annual Ox Roast: It might seem like an awful lot of trouble to go to to make roast beef sandwiches, but there’s something awe-inspiring about cooking 5,500 pounds of round roasts in an underground pit. The 140-foot-long, 4-foot-wide pit is filled with 30 tons of slab wood burned down to glowing coals. The seasoned and foil-wrapped meat is laid in the pit and the whole thing is buried for 10 hours. By 2:30 p.m. on Labor Day, the meat is excavated and the slicing begins to make those sandwiches. The roast beef chowdown climaxes a weekend of parades, beauty contests, a car show, belly dancers, talent shows, and rides and games. Garrette Park, admission and parking free, Labor Day sandwiches $5.25. 614-879-8818, www.westjeffoxroast.com
SEPT. 13-15
SANTA ROSA, Calif.
The National Heirloom Exposition: Billed as “the World’s Pure Food Fair,’’ this initial gathering of farmers, gardeners, seedsmen, and foodies promises to be an all-American take on Slow Food with a focus on the superior taste of heirloom vegetables. Tangy tomatoes with old-time flavor are only the tip of the gastronomic iceberg, and organizers are promising samples of organic heirloom fruits and vegetables grown all over the country. After you stock up on seeds for next year’s garden, visit the nearby Sonoma vineyards. Proceeds benefit school gardens and food programs. Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, adults $10, under 18 free. 707-509-5171, www.theheirloomexpo.com
SEPT. 13-18
BARDSTOWN, Ky.
