photo credit: Noah Abrams
The annual event draws crowds to Sonoma. 

What says summer more than an abundance of zucchinis? KRCB’s Anna Zou reports from the Sonoma Valley, where the summer squash is the star of an annual race.

Ambient sound of announcer: “They're at the line…aaand they're off!” 

Sonoma Plaza was packed to the brim Tuesday evening with people eagerly waiting for the yearly Zucchini Races.

Put on by the Sonoma Raceway, the event is a quirky highlight of the Sonoma Night Market, blending friendly competition, creativity and community spirit.

Contestants of all ages put wheels, axles, and/or accessories onto zucchinis.

The goal was to see how fast their zucchinis can speed down a sloped wooden ramp. 

“It's creative, it's fun. It's one of the things in Sonoma that a lot of people look forward to,” said Madeline Welsome, whose competition entry was a zucchini painted like a whale. 

Victoria Campbell, a volunteer for the event, said people like to get inventive. 

“Someone put a tire down there with a zucchini in it,” she laughed.

 The judges this year included Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Ryan Lely, Sonoma Raceway’s Mike Donovan, City of Sonoma Building Inspector Kevin Sullivan, and Sonoma Mayor Patricia Farrar-Rivas. 

If a zucchini is not all about the need for speed, contestants should not fret. A Best in Show award exists to laud artistry and creativity. One of the winners this year was a zucchini fashioned into a sushi roll. 

The zucchinis are categorized as small, medium, or large, and the adult’s race is separate from the children’s race. 

Otis, a second-place winner in the children’s category, said it took him about two hours to build his fishing-themed zucchini car. 

“ I made it with an erector set wheel set, and then the zucchini I bolted on. Then I put fins on it, carved out a mouth and gills, and then with cardboard I put the tail fins and the side fins,” he explained. “And then I took a sharpie and made a line down it.”

In Sonoma, even your summer vegetables can cross the finish line.