With help from her big sister Coralee Bodeker, two-year-old Flannery McAllister of rural Garrison watches as her zucchini car zooms down the race track on Saturday, Aug. 30, during the Reinbeck Farmers Market’s ‘Zucchini to Green Celebration’ which raised funds for the local food pantry. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

REINBECK – This time of year practically everyone with a garden is asking themselves, what on earth am I supposed to do with all these zucchinis? For those in Reinbeck last Saturday morning, the solution was simple – race those green machines of the veggie world down the street!

The theme on Saturday, Aug. 30, at the downtown Reinbeck Farmers Market was coined ‘Zucchini to Green Celebration.’ As part of the event, the market committee’s exceptionally creative organizers worked to turn the prolific – or as some gardeners might say, maddening – zucchini into (green) dollars for the local food bank by hosting two squash-tastic activities: a zucchini bake-off and ‘The Great Zucchini Race.’

“This is a new idea. We’ve never done it before,” committee member Janet Tedore said before explaining the abundance of zucchini this time of year – “It’s practically illegal to put zucchini on your neighbors porch!” – was the impetus for the celebration.

As part of the bake-off, participants were required to follow cottage baking guidelines, include a printout of the ingredients, package samples individually for taste-testing by the judges, and, of course, feature zucchini in the recipe. Anyone was allowed to be a judge from 10 a.m. to noon in exchange for a $5 donation to the food bank.

Zucchini bake-off entries included a cookie, several chocolate delights, a key lime pie filling with graham crackers for dipping, a blueberry-zucchini bread, and one savory entry – baked/roasted zucchini slices topped with seasoning (delicious!).

Reinbeck Lions Club member Emery Shutters, right, works “in the pits” with Gladbrook-Reinbeck fifth grader Dawsyn Shires to improve her zucchini car’s performance on Saturday morning. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

When the votes were tallied, the immensely talented Cindy Rufenacht was the bake-off winner with her frosted zucchini cookies.

The Great Zucchini Race

Rufenacht was also the brilliance behind the zucchini car race which saw participants of all ages build a race car out of zucchini by using toy wheels and axles plus a variety of craft supplies. The only requirement to participate was a freewill donation toward the food pantry. While Rufenacht provided the art supplies through her Kids at the Market tent, market vendor Mad Acre Farms donated the zucchinis.

Participants were also allowed to furnish their own zucchini or bring a premade zucchini race car. Market vendor Holly Robertson of Five R Farm was among the enterprising adults who elected to bring her own raw materials, turning a massive cucumber – “the other zucchini” – into a hilarious “Cuzzini” mobile.

More than a dozen zucchini cars were created on site throughout the morning. While some racers elected to wait until the showdown closer to noon, many of the youngest participants immediately raced their creations on the three-track, slanted race surface made by a particularly handy member of the Reinbeck Lions Club that was set up in the heart of the market on Broad Street.

Sisters Violet (left) and Evelyn (center) Luedeman of Marion race their zucchini cars on Aug. 30 in Reinbeck while their parents Quincey and Wendy (obscured) Luedeman cheer them on. The girls won The Great Zucchini Race kids trophy later that morning. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

While trophies were officially awarded to the winners of both the adult and kids races, everyone appeared to be having a fabulous time with or without a trophy including two-year-old Flannery McAllister who spent nearly the entire two-hour market dropping her zucchini car down the track – a track she could just barely peer over – before excitedly running to the bottom to retrieve it. “She’s the Zucchqueenie!” market committee member Lydia Robertson termed the enamored youngster with a laugh.

“We’re all kids at heart,” Rufenacht added as several adults lined up their race cars for the final heat. When the race was over, Jerry Smith’s golden zucchini car featuring bright yellow wheels and a miniature Elastigirl figurine (from the 2004 film “The Incredibles”) squashed the competition for the grand prize. Earlier, siblings Violet (7) and Evelyn (5) Luedeman, nieces of Mad Acre Farms’ Ryan and Jamie Madison, won the kids race.

“It’s such a good idea,” Robertson said of the event, after celebrating Smith’s win alongside fellow vendors and Rufenacht. “Because nobody wants zucchini!”

As they say, if life (or your neighbor!) gives you zucchinis, find a way to race ’em down the street!

The Great Zucchini Race winner Jerry Smith, left, poses for a photo with his trophy and winning zucchini car on Saturday, Aug. 30, in downtown Reinbeck. Beside him, race organizer and Reinbeck Farmers Market committee member Cindy Rufenacht gives a thumbs up. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Two-year-old Flannery McAllister of rural Garrison lets her zucchini car fly down the race track on Saturday, Aug. 30, during the Reinbeck Farmers Market’s ‘Zucchini to Green Celebration’ which raised funds for the local food pantry. Also pictured in the background, Lions Club members and enthusiastic race spectators, Pat and Emery Shutters. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Gladbrook-Reinbeck sixth graders Zalee’a (left, no last name given) and Bryley (right, no last name given) race their zucchini cars against a ‘kid at heart’ competitor (center) Aug. 30 in Reinbeck. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Gladbrook-Reinbeck fifth grader Dawsyn Shires, center, beams with pride as her zucchini race car looks to take the lead on Saturday, Aug. 30, in Reinbeck. Also pictured, Five R Farm’s Holly Robertson’s Cuzzini car (left). PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER