The Almond Board of California (ABC) has named the winner of this year’s Mummy Shake Contest, which underscores the value of winter sanitation. ABC made some changes to the competition this year, removing the video aspect and centering the contest on traditional Christmas music. ABC Senior Specialist of Industry Communications, Taylor Hillman said they had quite a bit of feedback for this year’s contest.
“We got incredible entries and it was a really fun competition and we do have a winner,” said Hillman. “That winner is Nick Lupien, he’s a PCA in Northern California. He and his girlfriend, and her mom, helped to create what they called ‘Almonds Grow.’ It is a winter sanitation themed lyric rewrite of ‘Let It Snow.’”
A panel of 14 judges weighed in on the entries, with scoring based on a point system. Hillman noted that it was a competitive contest this year. Lyrical entries were submitted for renditions of many of the classic holiday songs from ‘Jingle Bells’ to ‘Winter Wonderland.’ The holiday spin on the annual competition was well-received. “Everybody’s message was, ‘we really enjoyed doing this. We had a lot of fun being creative and getting together with the family,’” Hillman explained.
The annual Mummy Shake Contest serves as a lighthearted reminder that winter sanitation is a key component of pest management. Keeping orchards clean during dormancy and removing the overwintering habitat for navel orangeworm is the foundation of an effective IPM program.
“Although it’s fun, and people had a lot of fun putting some of these entries together and have done in the past, it always serves as a reminder about the importance of this,” said Hillman. “The importance of having an IPM program that is anchored by this concrete practice that really does set the bar moving forward through the season.”
Listen to Hillman’s interview below.
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