Sunzilla and the Other Green Monster weigh in
September 16, 2021 | By Waterbury Roundabout
Sunzilla judges Phyllis Arsenault Berry and Al Lewis take measurements. Photo by Gordon Miller
The 28th Annual Waterbury Rotary Hunt for Sunzilla and The Other Green Monster didn’t disappoint this year.
Waterbury Rotary Club President John Malter shared results from the contest held at Rusty Parker Memorial Park on Sept. 9.
“We had 21 Sunzilla contestants, 5 zuchinni entrants and 11 participants in the sunflower seed tossing contest for accuracy,” Malter reported. “The Grand Prize for Sunzilla was won by Jane and Alex Griffith at 151 inches.”
(That’s over 12.5 feet tall!)
Mallory Culbertson’s sunflower was second at 140 in. Third and fourth places were very close: Gretta and George Ogelby at 135 in. and Ariana Chenette at 134 in.
The heaviest sunflower was entered by Maddy Young at 5.4 lbs; second place went to Landon Simard with a 3.8 lb. flower. Kylynn Grimes took third place with a 3.6 lb. bloom and Ariana Chenette’s ranked fourth at 3.16 lbs.
The largest diameter sunflower was entered by Landon Simard at 14.5 in. Kylynn Grimes took second at 13.5 in.; Maddy Young’s was close behind for third place at 13 in. Ariana Chenette rounded out her fourth-place prizes with a 12.5 inch sunflower head.
The prize for The Other Green Monster went to Susan Bettmann with a 24-inch zucchini. Ariana Chenette won with the heaviest at 7.6 lbs.
When all the seed-tossing was done (no spitting to adhere to COVID-19-safe practices) the prize for most accurate sunflower-seed toss went to Landon Simard.
Prizes for the winners included bird feeders, a bird house, gift certificates and reusable bags and bird seed, Malter said.
Thanks to the contest sponsors: Evergreen Gardens, Sunflower Natural Foods, Waterbury True Value Hardware Store, Waterbury Farmers Market and the Waterbury Rotary Club.
The entries on display at Rusty Parker Park during the farmers market. Photo by John Malter
Sunzilla (sunflower) and Green Monster (zucchini) categories include weight and height/length. Judges Phyllis Arsenault, Al Lewis and Tami Bass weigh a sunflower bloom. Photo by John Malter
This year's contestants included many young gardeners. Photo by John Malter