I'm not sure the International Turtle Race really qualified as "international," although one of the contestants WAS from Maryland.
To my surprise, the two-yard-long race took only a couple of minutes. First to cross the finish line was veteran winner Vincent van Gone. He sprinted to the finish, well ahead of the completely immobile Speedbump and the sluggish Diamondback Terrapin Terror.
The entertaining race, held this past Sunday, was part of the Harvest Moon Festival at the Delaware Nature Center's Coverdale Farm preserve on Way Road in Greenville. The race announcer was very funny, ordering people to "do your crafts later" and come and watch the race: he was a cross between a circus ringmaster and a WWF impresario.
At one point he said something about Speedbump's latest rap release. The boy in front of us looked up at his Mom, baffled.
"Speedbump doesn't make music," she explained. "He's a turtle."
Although the sky was gray, it was wonderful to see many families outside enjoying nature and learning about animals, plants and traditional crafts. There was a scarecrow building area, and we saw many parents lugging scarecrows as big as they were all the way back to the car.
Several food trucks were there, including Woodside Creamery and Maiale, the "Sausage King of Delaware." The Brandywine Friends of Old-Time Music took care of providing live music, and during some of the tunes, a group of four cloggers danced in front of the stage.
One little vignette we witnessed was especially heartwarming in these overprotective parenting days. A little kid dropped his spoon in the dirt while eating ice cream. His mom simply said, "Just pick it up. It won't kill you." The laid-back mom noticed us chuckling and said, "That's what my Mom used to tell me!"
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