You may be familiar with the Cheese Rolling event at Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire, UK, where participants chase a rolling wheel of cheese down a steep hill, endangering life and limb to claim the prize of that same wheel of cheese. Now Canada is staging its own version of this madness, and it takes place right here in the Pacific Northwest. I present to you - The First Annual Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival, which debuts August 16th, 2008 in Whistler, British Columbia.
There are a couple of phases to the event: Part One starts on August 6th (that's next week) in Vancouver at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Starting at noon, organizers are throwing a cheese party featuring tastes of a variety of Canadian cheeses....spectators can also watch media celebs compete in offbeat sports like a Cheese Rolling Obstacle Course, Cheese Trivia Contest and Cheese Slicing events.
Then, on August 16th, cheese revelers will gather in Whistler (about an hour and half north of Vancouver) at noon. Men's and Women's heats will be held, culminating in the final races held around 3PM. Again, the racing, such as it is, consists of chasing wheels of cheese down a hill. The prize? Wheels of cheese, of course, specifically Natural Pastures Verdelait, about 11 pounds of British Columbia cheese goodness. Overall winners will also receive season ski passes to Whistler Blackcomb, one of the venues for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Cheese Rolling Festival will also include cheese sampling, kids activities and a farmer's market...so there will be plenty to occupy everyone and it's almost certain that a good time will be had by all.
For more information, or to register to participate, see the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival website. Participants must be at least 19 years old to compete.
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