Quincy Farmer Consumer Day coming Sept. 8

QUINCY — The second Saturday in September is coming soon. Which means it’s time for Quincy’s annual Farmer Consumer Awareness Day festival.

“This is huge, our biggest day of the year,” said Janet Lybbert, organizer of the festival’s cook-off. “It trumps all the traffic we get to the Gorge.”

The festival, which is scheduled to last all day Saturday, Sept. 8, will begin with breakfast served by the Lions Club at Quincy High School from 7 to 10 a.m., followed by the Grand Parade through downtown Quincy at 10 a.m. and a barbecue lunch grilled and served by the Rotary at Quincy High School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All afternoon, there will be entertainment — the main stage, food, games, a classic car show, a tractor pull, and the cook-off.

“People enter the cook-off from 12:30 to 1 p.m. at the high school gym,” Lybbert said. “Every recipe must have potatoes, corn, apples or beans. At least one of those.”

Entertainment is scheduled to include Seattle bluegrass band The Weavils and Ephrata-based cowboy poet Glen Bair.

“Original poetry and songs for cowboys and people who have never seen a cow,” according to a description on the Spokane Folklore Society’s website.

“I’m really excited, he will be reciting his poetry,” Lybbert said.

In addition, there will also be a volleyball tournament and tours of local farms. All followed up by a fireworks show Saturday evening.

Lybbert said there will also be five hot air balloons lifting off at 6:30 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday from Lauzier Park, though she doesn’t know if they will be offering balloon rides.

For more information on Farmer Consumer Awareness Day, contact the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce at 509-787-2140 or qvcc@quincyvalley.org.