In Gilroy, California, people line up to purchase watermelon, ice cream and chocolate, all of which are laced with fresh, pungent garlic. Underwater divers off Florida's Looe Key are serenaded by sounds ranging from a song sung by the Beatles to the high-pitched call made by humpback whales.

These disparate scenes have one thing in common. They're three of countless fairs and festivals that are held throughout the year and around the country which focus on and celebrate a variety of animals and art, food and fun and other themes.

Take that crowd of garlic lovers. For 35 years, the Gilroy Garlic Festival has been one of the largest gatherings of foodies in the United States. Like most fairs based on a theme, this one includes its share of entertainment, music, arts and crafts and other attractions. And like many, it raises money that is donated to charities and non-profit organizations.

The festival provides an opportunity for those who attend to indulge in their love of garlic and their belief that it is under-used in recipes. Along with opportunities to nosh on the tasty treats, there are competitions for professional chefs, and a Great Garlic Cook-Off contest for amateurs. For more information, log onto gilroygarlicfestival.com.

Food, sort of, also is the focus of the somewhat grossly named Roadkill Cook-Off in Marlinton, West Virginia. Where else would you be asked how you prefer deer sausage, squirrel gravy over biscuits or teriyaki-marinated bear prepared? The entrees haven't actually been killed on a road but they're on the menu as a tribute to the large number of their cousins who were. For more information log onto pccocwv.com/roadkill.

One guess what the feature attraction is at the annual Great Texas Mosquito Festival in the town of Clute, about a 45-minute drive from Houston. It transforms a summer nuisance into the star attraction.When they're not competing in mosquito calling and mosquito legs contests, participants hang out with Willie-Man-Chew, the festival mascot. Billed as the largest mosquito in the world, he (or she) stands 26 feet tall, sports an oversize cowboy hat and boots, and has a proboscis that would be the envy of any self-respecting mosquito. For more information, log onto mosquitofestival.com.

Larger specimens of the animal kingdom play the leading role at the annual San Fermin Running of the Bulls in New Orleans, which is copied from the famous event held in Pamplona, Spain, each summer. The Spanish version is named for Saint Fermin, a priest who lived during the 3rd century A.D. and became the first bishop of Pamplona.

While New Orleans is best known for its French history, it also was under Spanish control at times, so a festival based upon the bull running in Spain doesn't seem out of place. However, there is one major difference. In New Orleans, participants are chased not by four-legged animals but by women from professional roller derby teams who whack runners they catch with a foam waffle ball bat.

The event also includes a four-course gourmet dinner accompanied by Spanish wines, a sangria tasting and – because of Ernest Hemingway's love of Spain and bullfighting – a contest to select the most realistic Hemingway look-a-like. For more information log onto nolabulls.com.

The schedule of activities at most festivals includes music of some kind, and there are others at which dulcet sounds are a, if not the, major attraction. Those divers and snorkelers off the Florida coast are participants in the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival. Each year, hundreds of people do masks, flippers and other paraphernalia and swim over magnificent coral reefs in the National Marine Sanctuary as music and other sounds waft down from above.

The play list includes melodies like the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" and the theme from The Little Mermaid. Some participants pretend to play whimsical underwater instruments made by a local sculptor. For more information log onto lowerkeyschamber.com/festival.php.

Even if you're familiar with themes like the hymn "Ave Maria" by Franz Schubert and "Over the Rainbow" from the Wizard of Oz, you're likely to hear them presented in a new way if you attend the New York City Musical Saw Festival. Saw players from around the world gather each year to perform solos, combine into saw orchestras and accompany singers. There also are workshops for players at all levels of expertise, including one that allow people to try their hand at saws of various designs, and a beginner's lesson for people who have no musical saw experience. For more information, log onto musicalsawfestival.org.

There's also a long list of events that don't fit easily into categories. They include such disparate themes as duck tape, cow chips and UFOs.

Duck tape or duct tape –  both names are used –  is the featured attraction at the annual Duck Tape Festival. Appreciators of that very American product descend upon Avon, Ohio, to spend three days at activities that include a duck tape fashion show, statues made of the sticky substance and a parade with duck tape floats. For more information log onto ducktapefestival.com.

Taking a tip from hunters who discovered that dried "buffalo chips" could be burned as fuel, early settlers in the Plains States substituted cow dung. That fuel source became so important and valued that it was used to trade for food and other necessities.

Since 1975, Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin, has hosted the State Cow Chip Throw. Contestants follow a stringent set of rules to determine who can sail chips the furthest, and if anyone can beat the current distance record of 248 feet. For more information, log onto wiscowchip.com

In 1947, an object crashed at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico, that the Air Force ever since has insisted was a weather surveillance balloon. Even so, a persistent group of people have clung to the belief that the accident involved an extraterrestrial spaceship, whose occupants were recovered by the military which has engaged in a cover-up.

For years, the area has been the go-to destination for those who claim that our planet has been visited by aliens. Among activities are a costume contest, "alien chase," and presentations by authors of books about UFOs, paranormal experiences and earthlings who recount being abducted by visitors from outer space. For more information log onto ufofestivalroswell.com.

Anyone who's a fan of the "Game of Thrones" hit TV series will feel at home dropping by one of the Renaissance Fairs that are held in a number of states. Many of these make-believe settings seek to replicate life during the reign of British royalty. The usual order of business includes an abundance of period costumed entertainers and fair-goers, musical and theatrical acts, and stands selling art, handicrafts and food. Efforts to persuade members of the audience to participate in the fun and frivolity are usually part of the scene. To see a list of Renaissance Fairs log onto en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/List_of_Renaissance_fairs.

More information, including the dates of each festival, is available at the websites listed above. If none of these fun festivals has appeal for you, fret not. An Internet search will reveal a virtual A-to-Z list of alternatives, including a Bigfoot festival, National Hollerin' Contest, kinetic sculpture race and events that honor chickens, lentils, tarantulas, turpentine, dancing and much more.

Caption information for photos:

Virginia Renaissance Faire:

Jouster 2, Kevin Hedgecock

Queen by Sherry Miller Loy

Children's knighting ceremony by Jorge Amselle

Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival:

Playing sculpture guitar, Captain playing sculpture trumpet by K. Walker

Victor Block recommends that if you can’t visit a destination you’d like to, read about it. He’s happy to be your eyes and ears.

Meet Victor