From Belgian pumpkin regattas and free concerts to mistreated pets finding a second home, this week has had its fill of positive news. Here's our weekly round-up to get your weekend off to the right start.
Today's positive pick
As boat races go, few are as eye-catching as the annual Pumpkin Regatta in Kasterlee (Antwerp province) which was once again held last Sunday.
The event brings people from far and wide to watch or participate in the race using large, hollowed-out pumpkins. This year's 14th edition attracted around 5,000 people to the small Flemish town and made world news. One competitor even cancelled a trip to Oslo to participate.
Credit: Pompoenregatta Kasterlee / Ralf Oehme
"The first regatta was organised in 2008," organisers told The Brussels Times. "We wanted to do something fun with the big pumpkins after the competition for the heaviest pumpkin. A collaboration between the pumpkin growers and the kayaking club resulted in a pumpkin regatta."
The Kastelse Kayak Klub and the Pumpkin Society have organised the event every October since (except during the pandemic). The race is unique in Belgium and over 150 taking part in four different categories: young people (aged 12-18), women, men and mixed.
No fewer than 90 teams tried to complete the course of roughly 100 metres as fast as possible on the chilly 12°C water. Participant places sold out at the beginning of September.
Credit: Pompoenregatta Kasterlee / Facebook
Gourd big or go home
Alongside the race, there was no shortage of fresh pumpkin soup or pumpkin beer. Children could play hook-a-duck in a giant pumpkin, pumpkin curling, pumpkin golf and carve them into lanterns.
There was also the largest pumpkin competition. Belgian champion Herman Boonen from Kasterlee won with his behemoth weighing 997 kg. "I am very happy with this win. I also won six years ago. Taking good care of your pumpkin is key," Boonen said.
Credit: Pompoenregatta Kasterlee / Ralf Oehme
The organisers started the day by sawing through and hollowing out the pumpkins. "We use special ladles for this. The pulp is used as compost on a meadow," Paul Boonen of the Pumpkin Society told Het Nieuwsblad. "After the regatta, the soaked pumpkins are only suitable as fertiliser. For the pumpkin regatta, we grow pumpkins of between 400-500 kg."
The regatta is now a global phenomenon, with participants from Spain and Switzerland this year. Each team dresses up and chooses a comical name, among them: Vruitige Vogels, Butternutjes, The Smashed Pumpkins and Wet Ass Witches.
From Left and Right: Ellen, Janna, Ciska and Matilde. Credit: Ciska Polsdotter
One participant, Ciska Polsdotter (41), told The Brussels Times that steering the slippery pumpkins was harder than it looks and is a good arm workout. After being diagnosed with breast cancer exactly a year ago, Polsdotter finally decided to go for it. Her team 'Cavakutten' were delighted to finish 9th out of 25.
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Other happy stories from this week:
1. Dog finds loving home in Flanders after being thrown into canal
A Maltese dog who was mistreated and thrown from the bridge into the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal in Rotem on 16 September has now been given a new home. Read more here.
2. 'Music City Hall': 18 free concerts come to Brussels City Hall
"Tourists, music lovers and the curious will be able to enjoy an afternoon of hip-hop, soul, jazz, Arab-Andalusian sounds and classical music in the unique City Hall setting" on Sunday 12 November. Read more here.
3. 70-year-old farmer sentenced for sabotaging rooster crowing contest
A farmer from Limburg was sentenced on Wednesday to 80 hours' community service by the Tongeren magistrates court for systematically disrupting rooster-crowing competitions organised by his neighbours, who run a café. Read more here.
4. Brussels commits to protecting 25% of region's nature and biodiversity
The aim is not to create nature reserves that are inaccessible to the public but rather to protect, enhance and improve biodiversity where it exists, whether on wasteland or in urban areas. Read more here.
5. Belgium unveils €2 coin to mark 75 years of universal suffrage for women
"Extending the right to vote is a crucial issue in the history of Belgium and Europe. Women's right to vote is an important milestone in the history of gender equality." Read more here.
