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Conrad - rhubarb capital for a day |
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Wednesday, 30 May 2007 |
By Buck Traxler, I-O Editor
With the town of Ulm no longer able to maintain their Rhubarb Festival, it only seemed natural for it to continue its venue in Conrad.
Spearheaded by Bonnie Poser, the move to make Conrad a “Rhubarb Capital” for a day only seemed natural. And to do it in conjunction with the new date, June 9, for Whoop-Up only made the deal sweeter.
More than 14 vendors have signed up for booths, which will line Main St. and be ready to show their rhubarb products starting at the same time as the Whoop-Up children’s parade, at 9:30 a.m. on June 9.
Vendors, besides being local, are coming from as far away as Huntley Project. They will offer a special “Barb” sauce for “Rhu-dogs.” Locally, the Pondera Arts Council will be offering up ice cream sundaes with a rhubarb topping, and Poser has plans for serving Rhu-lemonade.
Helping to make Conrad’s first venture into the Whoop-Up Rhubarb Festival, a crew from Ulm will be here selling their already renown Rhubarb Cook Book which will be available at the library.
The book has over 150 pages and covers everything and more that you can make or bake from rhubarb.
It includes a beverage section, both alcohol and non-alcoholic, breads and muffins, soups and salads, main dishes, like a pork chop bake, cookies and tarts, jams and jellies, to other miscellaneous goodies.
While we think of rhubarb more as a dessert item, it has been around for a long time, as far back as 2700 B.C. in China where it was used for medicinal purposes.
Depending on which version of history suits your fancy, the rhubarb plant showed up in the U.S. in 1770 with John Barton when he returned from Siberia with the pant – or if you prefer, it arrived in America in the early 1800s with a farmer in Maine getting the seed or root stock from Europe.
Lewis and Clark had rhubarb with them on their trek to the West Coast. Journals show it was in medicine supplies as powdered rhubarb.
It still isn’t too late to get a “Rhu-booth.” All proceeds raised from the Festival will go towards a local community project(s).
For more information, contact Poser at 278-5408.
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