Article Written by Kaitlin Flannigan
BURKE - The Burke Fall Foliage Festival has been canceled due to COVID-19. The President of the Burke Chamber of Commerce, Todd Vendituoli, said on the matter "We've got no crystal ball as to what is going to happen or not happen, so we decided that we would for this year cancel the festival."
The announcement came months after vendors have already started gathering stock needed for their tables, causing some frustration. Thus, Blake Nuzzo approached his partner Stephanie McGowan, owner of The Orange Rind in East Burke, with the idea to host their own festival.
Nuzzo doesn't expect The Orange Rind's festival to be "as big as what was going to be," but more so wanted to give vendors the opportunity to still sell their goods. The Orange Rind often hosts other food vendors and musicians during its regular business hours, so a festival isn't a farfetched plan.
This new festival is scheduled for this Saturday, September 25 from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Nuzzo listed 14 vendors who would be at the event in a Burke Community Forum on Facebook last Monday. Any other interested vendors are encouraged to reach out to The Orange Rind by phone at (843)877-1167 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .