Rutabaga Curl back in person after virtual 2020

This weekend, an eccentric yet beloved tradition returns to the Ithaca Farmers Market (IFM). The Market’s 24th Annual Rutabaga Curl — back in person after going virtual last year — is scheduled for Dec. 18 at IFM at Steamboat Landing. Registration begins at 10 a.m., and the curl starts at noon.

The Rutabaga Curl, also known as the Rutabaga Curling Championship, is a celebration of the end of IFM’s outdoor season and a preparation for the upcoming winter season, according to a recent press release.

IFM’s first Rutabaga Curling Championship was held in 1996. Founded by vendor Steve Sierigk, the event started as a way for people to informally “hurl their wares down the market floor,” according to the release. Since then, the event has grown considerably, adding referees, official rules and ceremonial traditions.

The pandemic put quite a damper on the usually lively and exciting event, as IFM Market Manager Kelly Sauve explained.

“We did the event virtually,” she said. “We had Rutabaga Curl in person for vendors who wanted to participate, but we didn’t have the general public able to come and sign up and curl. … We definitely had less people participate. But essentially, people set up a curling area in their backyard and then sent videos of their curling events. And so, I think we had some families, mostly local. We didn’t get as many of the out-of-towners participating, obviously.”

Sauve only joined the Market in May of 2020, so her first time planning one of Ithaca’s favorite traditions was filled with challenges navigating health and safety. This year, Sauve finally got the chance to plan an in-person curl, which, though it comes with its own challenges, is a welcome change for Sauve and other market-goers.

“Everyone’s really excited about it coming back,” she said. “They’re excited that we’ll have more of a crowd, and they usually plant some protesters and people to heckle the curlers. So, they have all the fun little things returning. It should be good.”

A return to in-person also means the return of many of the festivities before and after the curl itself, including the Rutabaga Choir, who will be singing “Handel’s Messiah,” but with a rutabaga-themed twist.

Those who haven’t attended a Rutabaga Curl at IFM before should prepare themselves for an event the likes of which they have never seen before, Sauve said.

“The whole event starts with … a torch like an Olympic flame that makes its way to Ithaca,” she said. “They have a parade of the rutabaga god and goddess, which are some of our vendors. And they lead a parade to the central part of the event, and the chorus sings ‘Handel’s Messiah.’ … It’s definitely festive and fun. And we’ll have chimineas [with] fire. We’ll have rutabaga food, rutabaga tarts and rutabaga soup and warm things to drink. And so, whether you’re there to spectate or you’re there to curl or you’re there to heckle, it will definitely be a fun four hours.”

Visiting UK competitor Luke Jones also spoke to the event’s uniqueness.

“The Rutabaga Curl is the manifestation of all the things I love about Ithaca — a totally unique competition that is done every year out of fun, love and happiness,” Jones said in the recent release. “But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Preparation is crucial. Athletes must prepare by sending positive vibes to the Gods of Rutabagas. First-time spectators cannot possibly be prepared for this event.”

As strange as the event can seem to outsiders, Ithacans feel right at home.

“It’s just so quintessentially Ithaca,” Sauve said. “I think it’s become a yearly tradition that people look forward to, and it’s just another step back towards a little bit of normalcy. So, I think it’s one of those things that if you live in Ithaca, you have to have to see to believe that it actually happens, that people are literally chucking rutabagas down the aisle of the Farmers Market.”

The Rutabaga Curl will be the final high point of IFM’s 2021 outdoor season, which Sauve said has fared much better than 2020’s.

“We’ve definitely had a really good year in terms of customer attendance,” she said. “We’re back to, I would say, close to pre-pandemic attendance in that regard. A lot of people were traveling more locally — so, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut areas — so we had a lot of those folks who maybe weren’t getting on a plane and were coming to the market. So, that was really great for our vendors to have that kind of support. And, of course, with the COVID restrictions loosening up a bit, that also helps with our food vendors and being able to eat again at the market and all those things. So, overall, we had a really good year.”

After the curl, the Market has much to look forward to, like its winter market, infrastructure improvements and efforts from its recently established nonprofit arm, the Friends of the Market.

“We’re looking forward to our winter market starting in January,” Sauve said. “We’ll be back at Triphammer [Marketplace]. We’ll be using both atriums, the one in front of Ithaca Bakery and the one in front of the ReUse Center. So, that market is also kind of inching back towards normal. We have approximately 30 to 40 vendors who will be attending that market. So, that’s a pretty big increase from last year.”

Using two atriums will allow IFM to still maintain 6 feet between each vendor, Sauve said.

“We’re not going back to the same setup that we had pre-pandemic,” she said. “[We’re] looking at different variants coming out and, of course, being inside and wanting to continue to keep people safe.”

To read more about IFM’s plans for the Friends of the Market and its infrastructure improvements, visit our previous story on IFM at t.ly/SJSE. Learn more about Friends of the Market at ifmfriends.org.

Those interested in attending the Rutabaga Curl can sign up to be part of the competition or just enjoy the event as a spectator. Children 8 and under can join in the smaller-scale turnip toss, happening at 10:30 a.m. Learn more about the Rutabaga Curl at ithacamarket.com/markets/rutabaga-curl/.

Jessica Wickham is the managing editor of Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to them at editorial@vizellamedia.com.