The Olive Festival

Yesterday's big event in this part of the world was the "Olive Festival," right here in Shiloh!

Olives are an ancient food and native to this part of the world (Israel-the Holy Land.) Olive trees grow massive. We have one in the front of our yard. Olives are ripe for the picking late summer, early fall, and there is a big crop is every two years. Olive oil is considered very healthy, and some people drink it every morning as a tonic. It is also fuel to be burned for light. Its wood is good for heating and carving.

I don't know the official count, but thousands of people were at the festival for sure.

The festival was initiated by Meshek Achiya (Achiya Farm,) which moved its operations from Achiya, a hilltop community northeast of Shiloh, to the Shiloh Industrial Zone. There was plenty of room for parking, and there were also buses from all over the country.

Weather was "perfect," meaning that the cursed drought continued. Besides being able to see the process to make oil out of olives, there were numerous activity centers for making things as diverse as soap, decorative candles, ceramics and more. There were also animals and animal rides. The nearby Ancient Biblical Tel of Shiloh was also open for tours and activities. Shiloh was the place to be!

Lots of families, including the grandparents and newborns, wandered around happily.