Kids make zucchini cars in race at farmer’s market in Medina

‘Zucchini 500’ returns July 20, July 27

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Here is a sampling of some of the creative zucchini race cars youth made at the Canal Village Farmer’s Market Saturday. The event returns the next two Saturdays.

MEDINA – The Canal Village Farmer’s Market debuted a new event Saturday morning, aimed at attracting more children to the market, while entertaining the crowd.

Market manager Gail Miller got the idea for zucchini races at a meeting of the Farmers’ Market Federation of New York.

“I thought it sounded like fun, and checked it out on YouTube,” Miller said.

(Left) Dave Miller gives two zucchini race cars a trial run to check out the track he built, before the competition starts at Medina’s Canal Village Farmer’s Market Saturday. Fifteen youth participated in the first-time event. (Right) Bishop Stanton, 9, checks out a zucchini race car before beginning to build his own.

Miller’s husband Dave likes to design things and volunteered to make the race track. It ended up being quite an intricate project, with a finish gate and electronic switch. He spent a month working on it, Gail said. He ordered the wheels and metal axles.

Then the Millers canvassed the stores for accessories for the race cars. Children who registered for the race Saturday had a container full of feathers, stickers, flags, flowers and assorted vegetables from which to choose to decorate their cars.

“The turnout for the first Zucchini 500 was more than I expected,” Gail said of the 15 entrants. “I am so pleased. The great thing was that both children and parents had a lot of fun making their zucchini racers and then racing them.”

Axel Godfrey, 10, and his sister Mazie hold their completed zucchini race cars before entering them in the race.

Also helping with registration of racers and putting a race car together was Barb Jantzi, who is a regular volunteer at the market.

The zucchini races will continue at the Canal Village Farmer’s Market on July 20 and 27.

One entrant, Axel Godfrey, 10, said it was fun making the race car and he will do it again.

Certificates were awarded for the fastest car, best looking and the best crash.

Gail said she still hasn’t figured out the prizes, but children who enter all three weeks may get special recognition.

The races begin at 10 a.m. each Saturday and last until 1:30 p.m.

(Left) Brae Dilorenzo, 10, and Bishop Stanton, 9, are ready for the zucchini race to begin. (Right) Dave Miller’s brother-in-law Bon Bargiel, who was visiting from Westminster, S.C., got roped into weighing the zucchini race cars.