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the
meadowlark messenger
September 11, 2014
Bedazzled Brassiere’s on display in the Domestic Arts building on Septmber 11, 2014. Bra’s were decorated to raise awareness for breast cancer. All proceeds from the
competition go to Victory of the Valley. Photo by Kretchmar.
Unique Coverage
Bra decoration contest
causes mixed feelings
Each year, the State Fair holds many
contests, each with their own rules,
categories, and prizes. Thousands upon
thousands of jams and jellies, flower
arrangements, hand-sewn quilts, and
golden-brown pies line the tables in the Oz
and Domestic Art galleries.
A total of 4,170 contestants entered this
year, in traditional contests from years past
and new competitions that were added
to correspond with this year’s theme, Get
on a Stick, in an attempt to draw in more
viewers and entries.
The most controversial out of the
new contests, however, is Bedazzle Your
breast cancer.
“I think that breast cancer is something
that needs to be addressed and if this
brings awareness for breast cancer, great,”
State Fair volunteer Becky Lindamood
said. “I think people coming in expecting it
to be in the quilting section or the sewing
section. Hopefully it will add an interest to
the canning.”
Other fair-goers, however, are not
pleased with the vulgarity of the bras,
or their placement over the canned food
contest entries.
“Generally speaking, I am
not too excited about it,” food
Brassiere, which has left some contestants,
viewers, and employees with mixed
emotions.
“The idea is to decorate a bra, make it
fancy. The whole concept is to promote
breast cancer awareness and prevention,”
Domestic Arts building superintendent
Linda Biles said. “There are three
categories; pretty in pink, most creative,
and agriculture life style. There are some
pretty interesting and creative designs.”
All of the money received from entrance
and voting fees goes to Victory of the
Valley, a program that is dedicated to
spreading awareness and support for
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continued from page 1
Popular
Contests
Heart of Kansas Quilt
“Show the love” in a originally designed heart quilt
no smaller that 12” X 12” and no larger than 30”
contest entries.
“Generally speaking, I am not
too excited about it,” food contest
superintendent Donna Foster said. “They
chose that area because there was wall
space available but it is distracting to the
canning and for our older ladies to have
maybe vulgar things said right above their
food is not perhaps the best thing.”
Most agree with the purpose of the
competition, but don’t agree with how it
was conducted.
Quilt on a Stick
A rectangle quilt 8” wide by 9” high that is placed
on a stick, with a theme of “something you see at
“I understand the theme to support
breast cancer and breast cancer
awareness,” fairgoer Marlene Kohlmeier
said, “but I am not sure if this were the
tactic I would use.”
North Central: 31%
Northwest: 35%
Northwest: 3%
Fresh Salsa
Sponsored by Anchor Inn, make your favorite type
of salsa with fresh ingredients, using only fresh or
Creative Purse
Create a totally unique purse from the supplied
purse pattern, adding, enlarging, reducing, and
Wall Quilt Whimsy
Creatively designed quilts between 36” X 36” and
80” X 80”, judged on theme and originality.
Southwest: 8%
Southeast: 6%
South Central: 43%
where are you from?
the meadowlark messenger
3
(Above and left) Briggs washes and blow-dries a chicken as a crowd of people watches. Briggs stated that
he prefers to air-dry the chickens, but for the demonstration, “a hair-dryer does just the same job.” Photos by
Kretchmar
Chick in a hot tub
Bob Briggs is not a man that worries
about getting his hands dirty. In fact, he
uses them to get his chickens clean.
Briggs, a poultry farmer from Knoxville,
Iowa, travels to Kansas each year for the
State Fair, during which he does a short
chicken bathing demonstration.
“It’s just for entertainment,” Briggs said.
“At home, the chickens don’t really need to
be bathed. They groom themselves well
enough.”
But the Plymouth Rock he washed did
benefit. “Look at all that left in the water,”
Briggs said. “He sure did get clean.” ­­
Some of the birds Briggs has washed
over the years even seem to enjoy it. Some
don’t. “Most of ‘em just sit there and let
you wash ’em. They don’t seem to care too
much. Of course, every once in a while, one
will try to escape. But that’s normal. Some
of them just don’t like it.”
This isn’t Briggs’ first time around the
poultry farm, though. “I’ve been washing
chickens for about 6 or 7 years,” he said.
“They just asked me to do the show here,
and I said yes and came up here for it
since.”
The show has been a hit with fairgoers
both old and young. “It was really funny to
watch him dunk the chicken,” Lisa from
Lawrence said. “It just sat there!”
Next year, Briggs plans on a longer
demonstration, for even more education
and entertainment. “Maybe we’ll be able to
wash a couple of chickens, add something
new to it. It’ll be good.”
how to:
bathe a chicken
in lukewarm
1. Submerge
water. “Not too hot and
not too cold.”
Soap it up: any dish soap
will do.
2.
twice: in fresh
3. Rinse
water and again in
4.
diluted vinegar
Use a hairdryer, a towel,
and/or airdrying to fluff
and dry your chicken.
4 the meadowlark messenger
DIVING
into the kansas state fair
At 61 degrees the Daredevil High Dive Show went on with
no delays on the cloudy Sept. 11.
With the crowd dressed in coats the five performers made
their way up to their platforms with hardly anything
covering their bodies.
“We are debating wearing the Speedos,” performer Bobby
Snaglewski said, because if you wear the wet suit on the first
show it’s still going be wet for the next show.”
And in the end, they found themselves standing in the cool
weather, wet, and up hundreds of feet in their Speedos.
“We start off with a bit of trampoline in front to get the
crowd going,” Snaglewski said. “Then we do some diving,
then there’s a little comedy skit in there and then of course
the high dive.”
No matter the conditions of the weather, the divers are
always ready to perform.
“Too cold?” performer Lawrence Valley said, “No. We do it.
We always do it. I’ve done it when there was a hail storm.”
Throughout the show onlookers are encouraged to cheer,
and cheer they did bundled up in their warmer clothing
as the Daredevil High Divers continued on with just the
smallest shiver.
“I came because I thought my kids would enjoy it,” 31-yearold Emily Marks said, “and they had a great time.”
The expression ‘the show must go on’ applies for the High
Divers, the only excuse for a show cancelation being the
lightening and sound within a few seconds apart.
“With our tower we’re pretty much asking for it if there’s
lightning, but if it’s just cold we always do it,” Valley said,
Your friendly neighbor robot
“You and me, drag race,” is the first
thing out of the robot’s mouth as he pulls
up beside an elderly wheelchair-bound
onlooker.
“Comm’on, I’m ready,” he adds before
releasing a series of engine-rev imitations.
The two take off. It’s neck and neck for a
few seconds before Oscar the robot comes
to a stop right at the edge of a growing
crowd.
“Everyone give him a round of
applause!” Oscar exclaims, arms in the air
and ready to admit his defeat.
Things such as dancing, racing, hugs,
and fist bumps are something common
around the state fair when the friendly blue
robot is around. He’s been attending for
20 years and is glad to keep coming back.
“You’ve got the best people in the whole
country here, and great food too! You’ve
got animals; you can learn lots of cool stuff
about the animals…”
His sentence trails off, kids clamoring
for his attention, and he happily and
enthusiastically interacts with handshakes, fun-filled facts, and jokes. “I love
the kids; the best thing about kids is that
they’re actually future adults. And every
person that every worked for NASA or
made robots that go into space and works
on mars or the international space station,
every one of those scientists were once
kids, just his size.”
One girl proudly displays her insect
craft for him, and several others pull theirs
out.
“That’s a nice thing, when they go out
and ride the rides or play the games; they
come back to show me and we can become
great friends.”