EASTON, Pa. — Ladies and gentlemen, start your summer squashes!
Kids and adults came together at the West Ward Market on Wednesday to assemble courgette cars for the 17th annual Zucchini 500.
- Easton's West Ward Market hosted the annual Zucchini 500
- The event encourages creativity and problem-solving, as well as connecting with the community in a fun atmosphere
- Easton Market District Director Meghan McBride said the race was a huge success, drawing significantly more participants in its 17th year, and second year at the West Ward Market
Competitors were provided with zucchini, wheels, axles, carving equipment and extras to assemble their racers for multiple events, including sportscar, midsize and monster truck events.
The track was awash in tension and nutrients — zucchini pack in quite a few vitamins, minerals and a good serving of fiber. But everyone was able to keep as cool as a cucumber as they put their mobile veggie — er, technically, fruit — together.
West Ward Market volunteer Mike Brett, the master of ceremonies for the event, said he was excited to see what the competition had to offer. With years of experience — Brett has been in on the game since its start — he was excited to see what the kids would bring to the competition this year, especially since he was passing the torch onto the next generation.
"A lot of these kids don't get to take advantage of events like this. So we brought it here, we made it free of charge, and we just had kids all day long participating. That's what it's all about.”Easton Market District Director Meghan McBride
“It's my favorite event of the year and I try to never miss it,” Brett said. “My son's here competing too, so I’m passing the tradition onto him. He's going to be 6 in August, and he's been doing this since he was old enough to carve. It’s probably his third or fourth year, I think.”
Brett noted the race is a great opportunity to teach children the value of produce, all the while showing that “vegetables can be fun.” It also promotes a healthy sense of competition, he said.
“It gives everyone an opportunity to have a chance to win — if your car's not the fastest, maybe it's the most creative, if not the most creative, maybe it's the most, you know, crazy. So there’s a bunch of different opportunities for the kids to take home a prize,” Brett said, adding the sense of community — which could be observed as the children offered each other tips and tricks as they prepped their racers — was the core of the whole event.
Lillyanna Brown, 8, said she felt confident with her car going into the race, all thanks to a little extra assistance from friends.
“My friend helped me because I wanted my car to look a little bit skinny, and I don't really know how to do it that well. I don't know how to shape it that well. So I asked him and he said ‘sure.’ So, he made it look a little bit skinny, and then the kind guy helped me with the wheels because they were really frustrating me out because they’re hard to do,” Lillyanna said.
NASCAR official Peter Brohl, who has been in the racing scene for decades, helped officiate the races, and commended the contestants for their dedication to the craft.
“I think it is great. You can you just see the creative juices coming out, and the competition… They really do compete!” Brohl said.
Lincoln Silvoy, 8, who took first place for the third year in a row for the sportscar category, said he invested quite a bit of time into his vehicle to ensure it would fly down the track.
“Getting the wheels straight and not like banging them into each other was important,” Lincoln said.
Hannakae Cacosta, 11, may not have won her heat, but she did enjoy decking out her zucchini to make a stylish little ride.
“Well, I wanted to make it fast, and I tried, but it's OK,” Hannakae said.
The action went rather quickly, but everyone seemed to have a great time testing their zucchinis on the track and competing for the win – including a few adults, who got an opportunity to race their courgettes after the kids were finished.
At the end of the early-evening festivities, Easton Market District Director Meghan McBride said she was more than happy with the results of the day, as attendance for the 2023 event had skyrocketed, drawing more kids out into the community and encouraging creativity and fun.
“It went really, really well,” McBride said.
“This was our second year doing it in the West Ward, and we were really excited about bringing the race into the neighborhood here. A lot of these kids don't get to take advantage of events like this. So we brought it here, we made it free of charge, and we just had kids all day long participating.
"That's what it's all about.”
