GREEN THUMBS are preparing to vie for the title of the region's most supersized vegetables at the upcoming Lyonville Harvest Festival and picnic later this month.
The festival, now in its third year, comes off the back of the Lyonville Woodchop, which raised $7600 for maintenance and future projects at Lyonville Hall.
Harvest Festival organiser Vicki Jackson said she hoped the upcoming event would be just as successful.
A keen vegetable gardener herself, Ms Jackson hopes to engage the community with and attract them to visit their local hall, while also encouraging healthy eating.
"It is a bit of fun and if it can get more people out gardening and eating healthily then it will be good," Ms Jackson said.
Ms Jackson said there were many keen gardeners in the area due to the good soil.
The newest attraction will be scarecrows; there will be a scarecrow workshop and thereafter a competition for the best whimsical and traditional scarecrow.
"We are having a scarecrow competition for the first time this year and we are encouraging everybody to make their own scarecrow and bring it along, or attend the workshop on the day to create their own," Ms Jackson said.
It is a bit of fun and if it can get more people out gardening and eating healthily then it will be good.
- Vicki Jackson
"The Harvest Festival is a fairly low key community event. We just want to get people out and meeting each other."
The prizes for the most bountiful basket, supersized vegetable, flower posy and best jam or jelly made from home grown or foraged fruits will again be fierce.
There is also a novelty vegetable competition for junior green thumbs so they too can be involved, if they aren't too caught up with the apple bobbing.
People are also invited to bring along their surplus produce of spare bulbs to sell, with seedlings, flowers and other garden goodies for sale.
Festival-goers are invited to bring their own picnics but there will be a can buy home-made goodies at the festival.
All proceeds from the day will go towards the upkeep of Lyonville and shared with the town's Country Fire Authority brigade.
The Harvest Festival and Picnic will take place on Sunday, March 31 from 11am to 3pm. Competitions must be entered before 10.30am.
