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First
Place: Regan Weaver, Crazy Person
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Crazy
Person gets nod for top freak vegetable
By Elaine Bailey
Eight enthusiastic contestants, thirty minutes, and red potatoes,
yellow potatoes, green pepper, and tomato are all it took to get
creative juices flowing through the youth building at the 2013 Great
Darke County Fair Freak Vegetable Contest.
The Junior Vegetable department sponsors the event for individuals ages
6 through 18.
“This is the most [contestants] that we’ve had for awhile,” Nola Coning
exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear. Nola provides the clerical
support for her husband Paul, who has supervised as chairperson for the
event since 2003.
“I love seeing the creativity of the kids.” Nola furthered shared
that both she and her husband are active in the fair community.
Both were born and raised in Darke County and were active in 4-H when
growing up and served as 4-H advisors. They have attended the
fair every year and have camped on the fair grounds for the past 30
seasons.
“We worked the Swine Barn for twenty years before Paul had trouble with
his heart. But he loves kids and he is so good with the
teenagers. This activity is good for him.” Paul will soon
turn 85. He has coached Little League baseball and softball,
works with youth groups, and built a pole vault for the school.
Although he retired from farming, he and Nola continue to garden and
recently processed 400 cans of vegetables and peaches from their garden
and orchard.
As she watched the young folks delve into their projects, she shared
that she enjoyed seeing what they would create. She tries to
provide an assortment of materials for the contestants. This year
included miniature straw hats, which were used by seven of the eight
contestants.
“Sometimes they don’t realize how long thirty minutes can be and they
finish quickly. Sometimes they keep adding and adding things
until the time is done and really overdo it.”
Marty Schlechty, retired teacher from Ansonia and co-owner of S & S
Swine Farm would judge if that was the case this year. Schlechty
watched as the eight contestants applied decorations and strategized
how to position their freak vegetable. After asking the
contestants to identify their project, she announced the following
winners:
First Place: Regan Weaver, Crazy Person
Second Place: Alivia Addis, Chicken
Third Place: Alli Whiting, A Hand Holding a Flower
Fourth Place: Vance Wetzel, Turtle
Fifth Place: Blake Addis, Dinosaur
Other projects included a farm safety message showing a farmer lying in
a grain bin, and two additional farmers.
See the full set of photos at Community
Events Photo Gallery
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Second
Place: Alivia Addis, Chicken
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Third
Place: Alli Whiting, A Hand Holding a Flower
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Fourth
Place: Vance Wetzel, Turtle
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Fifth
Place: Blake Addis, Dinosaur
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