A Dog Bowl Ice Cream eating contest will be one of the new attractions at the Gibson Farm Market’s 7th annual Fresno State Farm Festival Saturday, July 13.

From 8 a.m.-1 p.m. the festival is free and open to public. A wine tasting and food pairing follows from 3 – 6 p.m. with a $5 charge for that event only.

This year’s festival will be the first at the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market’s new facility at 5370 N. Chestnut (north of the Save Mart Center).

The event highlights the work of students, faculty and staff in the Jordan College of Agriculture Sciences and Technology. They will showcase student-produced products such as vegetables and fruits, meat, dairy, ice cream, olive oil, tree nuts and wine mostly from Fresno State’s 1,000-acre University Agriculture Laboratory (campus farm).

During the festival, guests can sample food products and meet with students and faculty to learn about the Jordan College.

The Dog Bowl Ice Cream eating contest starts at 11 a.m. and organizers hope it will become a fun, signature event for the festival and the valley.

The contest, which will be held outside the market, will pit 12 teams of up to four competitors in a battle to see who can eat 12 scoops of Fresno State ice cream — two pounds — first. The winning team receives a commemorative trophy and each team member gets a prize package of product and free ice cream coupons for a later date.

Ice cream lovers interested in entering a team may sign up in the store before July 12. A representative must be present for the 10:30 a.m. check-in the morning of the festival or the team will lose their spot, said Jodi Raley of Gibson’s student marketing team.

The Gibson Farm Market Wine Tasting and Food Pairing will provide guests   21 and over with a tasting of Fresno State wine and complimentary student products for the $5 admission. Guests also will take home an engraved Fresno State Winery wine glass.

Proceeds earned from the farm market go back to the campus farm lab, where students get hands-on experience in the latest growing, irrigation and harvest techniques, often with industry partners, through 17 enterprises managed by five of the seven academic departments in the Jordan College.

The farm is a research center where students participate in studies of food and water innovations with applications locally and worldwide. Many of the products have won state and national acclaim at various competitions.

The new Gibson Farm Market facility, made possible because of a $2 million dollar bequest from the estate of Joyce Mae Gibson to the farm market and the university’s equine program. The new market opened March 18.

The market’s summer hours are 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Related links: