Applications now open for 29th Lentil Fest

Contest entries and vendor applications are now open for Pullman's 29th annual National Lentil Festival, set Aug. 18-19 this year. Applications for spaces for food vendors, marketplace vendors and non-profit night vendors are available. Non-profit night is slated for Friday night, and spaces for that event are $70.

The marketplace and food vendor slots are sold as two-day spaces, and there is a $135 vendor fee for marketplace vendors and $175 fee plus 10 percent of gross sales for all food vendors. Food vendors will be located in Reaney Park, while marketplace vendors will be located in the Spring Street parking lot. Deadline for marketplace vendor space is July 24 and for food vendors June 16. Food vendors are required to have at least one dish featuring lentils on the menu. All slots are sold on a first come, first served basis.

The Legendary Lentil Cook-off will return again, and participants are asked to submit original recipes featuring lentils by June 19.

The top five finalists will be invited to the festival to prepare their dishes for a panel of celebrity judges, and all recipes submitted will be published in the Lentil Festival cookbook. Entrants must submit the recipe and a photo of the dish.

Recipes are not to exceed 15 ingredients, and they must include at least one cup of cooked lentils, a half cup of uncooked lentils or a half cup of lentil flour.

In addition, registration is also open for the Tase T. Lentil 5K Fun Run, set for 7:30 a.m. Aug. 19. Registration is $18 without a T-shirt or $25 with a T-shirt. A portion of each entry will go to the YMCA of the Palouse. Early registration closes Aug. 8.

A new event is also open for registration. The first Circles of Caring Tennis Tournament has been booked for the festival, and it will feature pro-set matches with regular scoring. Each participant is guaranteed at least two matches in each event. Events include women's adult singles, men's adult singles, women's under 22 singles, men's under 22 singles, women's doubles, men's doubles and mixed doubles. Also, a “Play with a Cougar” bracket will partner entrants with a WSU tennis player for a doubles tournament.

All proceeds will go to Circles of Caring Adult Day Services. Entry fee is $30 for one event, $50 for two events and $130 for the “Play with a Cougar” bracket plus one event.

More information is available at http://www.lentilfest.com or by calling Festival Director Britnee Packwood at 509-334-3565.