Carrot unveiling this Saturday

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 17, 25 September 1984, Page 1

Carrot unveiling this Saturday

Final details on the unveiling of the 'Big Carrot' have been released by the Carrot Growers' Association President Mr Peter Hammond. At 2.30pm on Saturday 29 September, the festivities will begin with a children's vegetable fancy dress competition, to be judged at Rochfort Park, followed by a parade of vehicles which will leave from the Ohakune Transport yard and head towards the park. The vehicles, tractors and trucks, will be driven by Growers' Association members. According to Mr Hammond, people should position themselves near the Mangateitei bridge at the entrance to Ohakune for the parade as something 'different'and exciting will happen at that point. This will be followed by a series of happenings culminating in the unveiling of the carrot at 6p.m. An attempt will be made j on the world record for the biggest tug-o-war ever, by the growers and their staff versus the town of Ohakune. The rope to be used is seven chains (154 yards) long. There will then be a competition between the growers and staff in which' twelve teams will stack 1600*

bags of produce into cages. The first to finish will be declared the winner provided that the vegetables remain in good condition. The final game is a forklift competition in which three men will endeavour to load 30 empty bins stacked three high, onto trucks. In addition to the games, Jon Zealando, . well known

magician, will be on hand along with the Yandall Sisters to provide entertainment throughout the day. Wanganui Aero Work will fly over the site in their planes and helicopters demonstrating top dressing skills. We have been reliably informed that they will be dropping a surprise. There will also be exhibitions provided by the Growers' Association and Ruapehu Region Information Centre. At 5.30pm the official ceremony will commence with speeches and ending with the spectacular unveiling of 'The Big Carrot'. The Ball, to be held at the Ohakune Primary School, will be action-packed entertainment from "go to whoa,"said Mr Hammond. The theme of the auction at the end of the evening is a closely guarded secret but will feature chemicals, fertilisers, ski related equipment, meals, accommodation etc. All will be catalogued and available for inspection prior to the evening. Further details of the day's exciting happenings can be heard on Ruapehu Radio throughout the week.