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Got zukes? Really big ones? Put 'em in a race

Rio Linda Grange presents Zucchini Festival on Saturday

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED AUG 8, 2024

Hey, Zuke, wanna race? The Zucchini Festival in Rio Linda this weekend welcomes big squash -- maybe much bigger than these -- to its Zucchini Races event. Kathy Morrison

The Rio Linda Grange may have created the most delightful use for giant overgrown zucchini squash.

The fun will be on view this Saturday, Aug. 10, as the Grange presents its annual Zucchini Festival & Races.

The festival of course will have food and vendors and kids activities, running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rio Linda Library parking lot, 6th and M streets in Rio Linda.

But the big draw undoubtably will be the races. These are somewhat like pinewood derby races, although the dominant car material is not a block of wood but a giant, woody zucchini (or other variety of summer squash). They are attached to wheeled toys, skate wheels or anything else that falls within the guidelines (see below) and decorated.

Registration will start at 9 a.m. Anyone who brings in a ready-to-race vehicle will be registered free; zucchini-less entrants can pay $5 for creation supplies while they last.

Here are the guidelines for building a zucchini car:

-- Maximum height is 14 inches; maximum width is 12 inches; maximum length is 14 inches.

-- No motorized vehicles; gravity is the only "power" allowed.

-- No intact skateboards.

-- No added weights.

-- One entry per person.

The builder tables open at 9 a.m. with registration. Between 10 and 10:15 a.m. judging for Best in Show creation will be held, along with the public-voted Greatest of All Time (GOAT) Award.

The races will kick off at 10:15, with kids' entries first, followed by adults' entries.

At 12:30 p.m., the judged awards are handed out, as well as an award for the heaviest zucchini. (If you have a big one growing right now, give it some extra water!)

The finale will be a face-off race between the top youth entry and the top adult entry.

Admission and parking for the festival are free.

For information on Rio Linda Grange #403, which is celebrating its 100th year, and the festival, go to https://www.facebook.com/RioLindaGrange

And by the way, Happy National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch today to all who celebrate ... but keep the biggest one for the races.

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Keywords:

summer zucchini squash zucchini festival Rio Linda Grange August Sacramento gardening vegetables weekend event family event

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Garden checklist for week of May 10

Take it easy during that high heat – then get to work! Your garden is calling.

* Remember to irrigate your tender transplants. Seedlings need consistent moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants. Water early in the morning for best results.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

* Don’t forget to weed! Those invaders are growing fast.

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