Inadequately advertised to the extent that I had to really dig for this information, the annual Dairy Farmers of Oregon Ice Cream Churn-a-ment will be sweetening Pioneer Courthouse Square this Friday, July 13 from noon to one pm. This means free ice cream courtesy of Umpqua Dairy for all in attendance and the chance to watch some of Portland's best chefs sweat it out making great cold treats the old-fashioned and labor-intensive way.

This is one hell of a competition - local talent including chefs from Aviary, Riffle NW, Salt & Straw, Papa Haydn, and Noble Rot will be racing to finish hand-churning their special flavors and promptly present them in a plated dessert for judging. There will be separate awards for speed and for the flavor that "best captures the flavor of summer in Oregon.” Last year's speediest cranker was Urban Farmer's Matt Christianson, while Megan Vargas of Andina won in the taste-based category for her simple Mint Chocolate-Chip flavor. Nothing says summer like eating ice cream and watching other people sweat, right?

Last Years Winning Muscles from Urban Farmer

The Churn-a-ment will take place at Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Ave.