Rutabaga Bowling coming to Crossfield Farmers Market Feb. 24

The Crossfield Farmers Market will be hosting its third annual “Rutabaga Bowl,” a popular pandemic addition to the farmers’ market, on February 24.

The event is held in conjunction with February Food Fest which is held at the Crossfield Community Hall and, according to the market manager Cheryl Shea, the Rutabaga Bowl was devised out of tricky COVID restrictions.

“When COVID hit, there wasn’t a lot of fun in the world,” said Shea. 

The Rutabaga Bowl, which involves bowlers throwing rutabagas at cones in the Community Hall’s parking lot, was originally organized to give people who attended Food Fest during the pandemic years something fun to do while they waited in line to enter the market. 

“It’s just a silly little event that’s gaining great traction,” said Shea. “We wanted to create a fun winter event… and what better thing to toss than a rutabaga?”

Shea said the veggie-centric addition to the Crossfield Farmers Market caught a lot of people by surprise the first couple years it was done because no one saw the advertising on the market's Facebook or Instagram pages. 

“If you don’t follow us, you kind of have no idea,” said Shea, who added that the vast majority of people who attend the February Foodfest do so for the farmers market. 

As an added incentive to this year's Rutabaga Bowl, Shea said that residents of the Rocky View lodge in Crossfield will be making rutabaga hats, scarves, and mitts that will be sold at the market. 

“The [lodge residents] jumped on board and they knit rutabaga hats [and] all the proceeds go back to them,” said Shea. “Literally the whole community has jumped into the rutabaga fever.”

Shea mentioned that hopeful competitors are required to register for the Rutabaga Bowl in order for organizers to keep track of who is bowling, but it can be done while waiting in line. Promotional material for the Rutabaga Bowl stated that each participant gets one rutabaga to throw and rutabaga’s will also be supplied to those that do not bring their own from home. 

Rutabaga Bowl registration opens at 11 a.m., with a kids turnip toss taking place at 11:30 a.m., which is then followed by the main Rutabaga Bowl at 12 p.m. 

However, the promotional poster also mentions that the schedule may go “awry.” 

For more information visit CROSSFIELD FARMERS MARKET - 900 Mountain Ave, Crossfield AB T0M 0S0 - Loc8NearMe