17 September, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. Nine kilograms of mushrooms per hour - this is the record of the first Dretun Mushroom Championship of 2009. Whether the participants of the second mushroom championship will be able to surpass it will be known on September 18, Dmitry Dolgov, head of the ideological work department of the Polotsk District Executive Committee, told a BELTA correspondent. However, the number of teams and participants in the upcoming competition has already surpassed last year's figure. If 80 teams came to the first championship, then 100 will take part in the current one. Townspeople decided to join the residents of Polotsk district - enterprises of Polotsk will field their teams. According to the organizers, they do not intend to close the list of participants until tomorrow's start and are ready to welcome new teams. "There will be enough mushrooms for everyone!" - they assured. Indeed, the Dretun forests are known for their mushroom spots, and the weather in the Vitebsk region this week is also favourable for mushroom picking - with rain and autumn warmth. According to the competition rules, a team consists of 4 people. If necessary, a guide will be provided to the team. The quiet hunt starts at 8 a.m., and at noon, weighing and summing up the results begin. There is no doubt that all participants of the championship will receive a gift in the form of a good mood and a basket of mushrooms, and the winners will also receive prizes from sponsors - enterprises of the Polotsk district. Interestingly, forest produce gathering championships are quite popular in Europe. In Finland, competitions are held not only for gathering mushrooms and berries, but even forest flowers, while in Lithuania, a night mushroom picking championship takes place. -0-

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