The 2014 Bowfest Country Fair Tent was hosted by the Young Farmers of Bowen Program and the Bowen Agricultural Alliance Farmers' Markets. These programs work in partnership with the Bowen Island Community School Garden Program and Vine and Garden Catering. The Country Fair tent included eight Country Fair Contests, the Slug Races, garden-fresh vegetables for sale, seeds saved by BICS students by donation, a how-to make risotto using fresh Bowen ingredients by the Young Farmers and Vine and Garden catering’s Matt Matheson and information on how to grow an edible garden.
Announcing the Bowfest Country Fair 2014 contest winners:
Tallest Sunflower or Hollyhock Adult winner: Jim McConnan`s 129” Tournesol sunflower; Youth winner: Michaela S. for her 72`sunflower.
Biggest Zucchini grown on Bowen Adult winner: Vivian Pearce; Youth winner: Levi S.
Strangest Looking Root Vegetable grown on Bowen
Youth winner: Alissa S.
Best Photo of a Bee
Adult winner: Patti Ivankovic; Youth winner: Nicholas B.
Best Photo of a Bowen Island slug Adult winner: Davina Haisell.
Favourite Farm Animal Youth winner Aoife for her story about her lamb.
Lego Contest (create a farm or garden-inspired lego creation, explain how you were inspired to create it.) Youth winner: Kevin H., Honorable Mentions: Josh Y., and Sabrina and Duncan G.
Fiber Arts Finest Adult winner: Lois Belluk
Youth winner: Carmen S.
For the 39th year at Bowfest the Slug Races were a favorite for locals and visitors. Adults and youth were welcome to bring their racing slug and slug race bribes to the race track. We held four races, with all eight lanes filled for each race. As usual Sarah Haxby was the Slug Race Official. Although some slugs refused to move, went backwards, or climbed off the track, some slugs were ready to slime down the track rapidly to get to the lettuce and cucumber slices at the end of the track. The fastest race was completed in under ten minutes and the longest race took over an hour. The first two races went quite quickly, with the slugs being alert and ready to 'run', with an exuberant crowd of children and adults cheering them on!
Official 2014 Slug Race ribbon winners: the winner of Race One: a racing slug named `Banana` raced by Sofia Z., The winner of Race Two: a racing slug named `Jet` raced by Isabella Z., The winner of Race Three: a racing slug named `Slugworth` raced by Ryan H.. By the fourth race, the race track activity had slowed down, and the winner of Race Four was an unnamed racing slug that suddenly woke up after sleeping through the first three races! As the unnamed slug jockey was nowhere to be found, the win, by default, went to TJ`s Neo, the second slug to cross the finish line!
Congratulations to all of the Country Fair winners. Thank you to all of the enthusiastic participants, the Bowfest Board and the volunteers who helped make the annual tradition of the Country Fair Tent happen at Bowfest 2014!
