The world's only Rhubarb Car Derby is held at the annual Rhubarb Festival in Kitchen Kettle Village, Intercourse, Pennsylvania, near Lancaster. Derby contestants purchase 'rhubarb car kits' which include pre-made sets of wheels and a stalk of rhubarb of the contestant's choice. The participants assemble their cars and race them down an electronically timed course. There are four different races on the last day of the festival.
The two-day event is the oldest rhubarb festival in the United States. Music is provided by a German band performing traditional folk music, a banjo band specializing in ragtime, and a 50's band, the Roadsters. The 'Rhubarb Whoopie Pie Filling Contest' is the first official competition. There's a "Whet Your Appetite for Rhubarb" cooking demonstration, along with flower planting demonstrations, and a rhubarb expert with growing tips.
Another major competition is for 'Best Rhubarb Dessert in Lancaster County.' Slices of all entries are sold to the public to benefit the Lancaster Farmland Trust. Rhubarb food tastings and fresh rhubarb are on sale for the duration of the festival. A Rhubarb King and Queen are crowned and lead the Rhubarb Stroll, a mini-parade of musicians and costumed characters.
Kitchen Kettle Village has drawn visitors from around the world to the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside for more than fifty years. There are thirty shops, eight fine restaurants, and plentiful quaint lodging. The famous Jam & Relish Kitchen is a main tourist attraction, where local women stir large open kettles containing more than eighty original recipes for jams, jellies and relishes. Guests also enjoy buggy rides, year-round family events and free festivals. Intercourse, Pennsylvania, is ten miles east of Lancaster, only two hours from Philadelphia or Baltimore. There is no more authentic village experience than in Kitchen Kettle.
