Mother Nature smiled on the final days of the 11th annual StrawFest Sculpting Contest in Mt. Morris on Aug. 22-23 and even gave a wisp of help to the hearty souls who lined up for the annual “Straw Bale Races.”
Five teams of two squared off on Wesley Avenue, in the heart of the downtown, to see who could push their straw bale down the street the fastest.
Just as the competition began, a bit of a southerly breeze was detected by race officials Jeff Bold and Larry Ubben.
“Ooh, there’s a breeze. That should help,” said Ubben, who announced the event.
Four teams advanced to the semis, but only one, powered by Jake Nicholson and Sam Helmich, brought home the $50 cash prize.
The race was one of several activities on Saturday, which also included a 5K, live music, kids’ games, and the announcement of which straw creation won this year’s contest.
Five straw sculptures were entered in this year’s competition, with visitors and artists casting votes for their favorite.
This year’s winners were:
• 1st Place People’s Choice, 1st Place Artists’ Choice: “Mt. Cheddarest” (In the Swiss Alps) by Danica and Mark Rogers of Rochelle
• 2nd Place Artists’ Choice, 2nd Place People’s Choice: “The Tree of Life” by Bobbi Hanna, Fran Volz, Kelsey, Gadsden, Oren, Ronan of Oregon
• 3rd Place People’s Choice: “Hay-land Coo” by Doreen Hartman of Mt. Morris
• 3rd Place Artists’ Choice: “Wellers Woods Gnome” by Chris and Cecilia Mann of Rockford
“Mother Earth” by Steve Lentz of Montello, Wisconsin, was also one of the entries.
The U.S. National Straw Sculpting Competition started in Rochelle in 2016, after artist Fran Volz visited the small village of Höchenschwand, Germany, which hosts an annual straw-sculpting competition that draws thousands of visitors. The event moved to Mt. Morris in 2017, where it is hosted by Encore! Mt. Morris.
According to competition rules, sculptures must be a minimum of 6.5 feet in height, length, or width and at least 90% straw on the surface.