Small town Minnesota festival among three finalists for 100K prize

A Minnesota small town's annual fall festival is one of three finalists in the running to win a $100,000 grand prize in a contest hosted by Cenex.

Cenex, the energy brand of Inver Grove Heights-based CHS Inc., announced the three finalists for its "Hometown Throwdown" festival contest Monday.

The finalists are the Hayward Musky Festival in Hayward, Wisconsin; Norborne Soybean Festival in Norborne, Missouri; and Roseau Fall Harvest Festival in Roseau, Minnesota.

Online voting is now open through May 15 at CenexHometownThrowdown.com to determine the winner of the $100,000 grand prize.

According to Cenex, the Hometown Throwdown contest, launched last year, aims to encourage local pride by asking community members and organizations to share what makes their hometown festival unique.

Over 500 festival submissions were received during the entry period, which closed in December.

The $100,000 grand prize winner will be announced May 24. The other two finalists will each receive a $25,000 prize.

The Roseau festival, according to the voting website, spices up autumn "with a hotdish cook-off, pie-eating contest, pet costume contest and a pro wrestling show."