The 32nd annual Waterbury Rotary sunflower growing contest known as The Hunt for Sunzilla, The Monster Sunflower, is next week, September 11, 2025, at 5 p.m. at the Rusty Parker Park in Waterbury.
The contest started on Arbor Day, the first Friday in May when Waterbury Rotarians provided trees for Brookside Primary School, Crossett Brook Middle School and Moretown Elementary School which the students help to plant as part of the celebration. Following the celebration packets of giant sunflower seeds are provided for students to plant. Additional packets of seeds, 20,000 of them, are distributed to businesses around the Waterbury area. Since the first contest over one half a million sunflower seeds have been shared with the participants.
Rotarians judge sunflowers for the heaviest sunflower head, largest diameter sunflower head and the tallest sunflower. Winning sunflowers have been 16 feet tall, with heads over 24 inches and over 6 pounds. Prizes include bird feeders, bird houses and sunflower seeds. Warren artist Bette Ann Libby created a banner for the contest. As part of the celebration, Rotarians celebrate The Search for the Other Green Monster (the longest and the heaviest zucchini). To date, the biggest zucchini that has been measured weighed about 54 pounds.
Additionally, there is a sunflower seeding spitting contest for kids 12 and under. For information contact John Malter at 802-244-7373.
