It's all about fun and hopefully in the sun. Thousands are expected to descend upon Recreation Park for the 11th annual Auburn Community Festival Saturday. The free family-friendly event annually displays the work of Auburn-area residents in scarecrow making, recipe, costume and pumpkin-growing contests and with $10,000 in prize money on the table there's sure to be some stiff competition. Things get going at 8 a.m. with the beginning of the giant pumpkin weigh off. And that's just the beginning. "It's amazing to see what local artists do for the scarecrow contest," said Deric Rothe, event founder and Auburn Journal editor/ general manager. "Some spend weeks preparing their entries." After placing at or near the top for the past 10 years, Kurt Barton of Meadow Vista is considered the local Michael Jordan of scarecrow making. "Kurt is an extremely creative guy," Rothe said. "It will be fun to see what he comes up with this year. But there are several other talented scarecrow artists as well. That's what makes it so fun." Pumpkin growers from around the region bring their prime picks from the patch to Auburn on Saturday. The heaviest pumpkin will bring its grower a $1,500 cash prize with a $500 bonus for the heaviest grown in Placer County. Last year's first place went to Steve Fry, of Auburn, whose 819-pound pumpkin earned him top honors. There's talk around Auburn that an out-of-towner may show up with a gargantuan gourd. "I got a call from a man in Portola Valley who is bringing up a 1,000 pound pumpkin," said Sheryl Petersen, of the Auburn Recreation District and festival committee member. "It looks like we'll have some big ones this year. Apparently it's been a good pumpkin growing year." Aside from the scarecrow contest and giant pumpkin weigh off there will be plenty of food, music and a costume contest and parade. Signups begin at noon and the parade starts at 2 p.m. "This is a great place to get a feel for Auburn," Rothe said. "You can meet your neighbors. It's a hometown, family event." Visitors may find a bookworm, the Mona Lisa and dozens of other original and creative getups in the costume parade and contest. This year's harvest recipe contest promises to be tastier than ever with sweet and savory categories for all age groups. While strolling through the park checking out artsy scarecrows and munching on burgers from the kitchen of the Downtown Grill or hot pizza from Old Town Pizza, visitors can enjoy live music from local bands. "We have The Krates, a very young band from Auburn with a phenomenal drummer who is only 12 years old," Rothe said. A Black & White Ball favorite band, Innersoul, will perform during the afternoon at Saturday's festival with their Latin, funk and dance music. The nine-piece Sacramento based band is known for getting audiences on their feet and dancing. The possibility of a wet Friday won't dampen Saturday's festival. " We might have to move some of the displays onto the concrete, but we'll be out rain or shine," Rothe said. The National Weather is predicting periods of rain Friday with an 80 percent chance of precipitation during the night. Clear, sunny skies are expected Saturday. The Journal's Penne Usher can be reached at penneu@goldcountrymedia.com or post a comment on auburnjournal.com.