In a hotly contested race, Jim Schneider, Riverside Ramblers 4-H club leader, was named the Kiss-A-Pig king in the second annual Kiss-A-Pig contest at the Washington County Fair. With the financial support of fair-goer's and a strong campaign by competitor Dave Erwin, Schneider easily bested the competition.
During the week, fair-goers were asked to cast their vote by throwing their spare change in the ballot box. Seven well-known contestants were competing for their opportunity to kiss the pig. Along with Schneider, contestants included Dave Erwin, 4-H supporter and volunteer; Tim Trotman, local farmer; Staci Sieren, Washington Co. Pork Queen; Carol Horning, 4-H supporter and volunteer; Gene Mohling, Washington County Extension Education Director, and write-in candidate Bill Blum, rabbit superintendent.
Voting started on Saturday, July 16 and continued until the afternoon of Thursday, July 21. The winner was announced after the Market Beef show on Thursday. Jim Schneider was crowned the king of the contest, raising $685.00 in votes. A total of $1425.00 was raised during the week, all of which will be donated to the new building on the fairgrounds. This sets a new record for the contest.
Todd Meyer, Kiss-A-Pig MC, introduced the candidates and in true pageant form, asked them a series of questions. Each candidate told the crowd what their most memorable kissing experience was, why they were qualified to kiss the pig, and what the new building means to each of them. Meyer also distributed breath mints to the candidates and to "The Pig" in preparation for the big kiss.
After much suspense, Schneider was announced as the winner and kissed "The Pig" to begin his year long reign. Last year's winner, Pam Davis, presented Schneider with the traveling trophy. The pig, provided by 4-H'er Brent Schneider, was named Grand Champion Market Hog during the fair.
For more information on the building campaign, contact the Washington County Extension Office, 319/653-4811.
Sarah Rodgers
4/30/2006