So only a few more sleeps until the umpteenth annual Millbrook Zucchini Festival lands with a thump on the sunny shores of Baxter Creek, next to the millpond in downtown Millbrook. Mark Sunday, September 8, 12:30 to 4 p.m. on your calendar for an afternoon of family fun carving, floating, slingshotting, serenading and baking this seasons’ crop of monster-sized zucchinis into oblivion for another year.
Plan to arrive early and stay to the end (there will be a food booth on site so don’t worry if you need to skip lunch) as the festival organizers have a full slate of activities planned around this year’s theme, The Wizuke of Oz.
Zucchini boat races in the creek start at 2 p.m. sharp which means the zucchini carving table will be closed down by 1:45 so that everyone can participate. New this year will be heats for adult boat races so those older but young at heart can also test their nautical skills in the fast-moving and treacherous waters of Baxter Creek.
But there are many more activities than just the boat racing, and all contests put you in the running for a hand-crafted and much-coveted Zucchini Festival trophy. Maybe your family will own the podium this year!
Baking Contest – Awards will be given for the best and/or most original culinary creation made from zucchinis, sweet, savoury, mixed drinks, whatever with a junior (up to and including 15 years) and senior category.
Poetry Slam Contest – Write an ode to the zucchini and you may be crowned this year’s Poet Laureate. Contestants are invited to share their poems on stage, although concessions can be made for those poets too shy to go public – we have professional readers on site!
Zucchini Carving Contest – The festival honours the most beautifully sculpted zucchinis with the carving contest. These can be boats (don’t worry, your boat will be returned before the races!) or anything else that your creative mind comes up with. Lots of hardware to be harvested here with awards for Junior, Senior, and family entries. And remember, we have a special prize for the zucchini that best reflects this year’s Wizuke of Oz theme!
Biggest Zuke Competition – Join us for the biggest zuke weigh-in at the Awards Ceremony, and have your name forever fixed on the permanent trophy as well as taking your own keeper trophy home with you. It’s not too late to think about entering – those zukes grow fast!
Flying Monkey Giant Slingshot Contest – Be sure to stay for the Awards Ceremony as immediately afterwards everyone marches up to the pond berm to take a turn at a giant slingshot to launch the last of our this year’s zucchinis into the stratosphere. Again junior and senior trophies will be handed out.
Besides the competitions we have lots of other things going on – live music by our house band, The Courgettes, Wizuke Rock Painting, and face painting. Also, there will be a limited number of special edition Zucchini Festival t-shirts for sale this year, all proceeds going directly back into the mostly-empty festival coffers. And although we make every attempt to have a huge pile of zucchinis available for the festival, it is always advised to bring your own if you want to avoid any potential supply issues. All events are free and you can find more information at millbrookzucchinifest.blogspot.com or by finding us on Instagram and Facebook. KG