Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, June 16, 2005

Six nights of entertainment and events are planned when the Ringgold County Fair gets underway, Wednesday, July 13 through Monday July 18 at the fairgrounds north of Mount Ayr.

Thursday evening will be the sesquicentennial beard judging contest. Judging will be done by a panel of local barbers and beauticians.

The sesquicentennial committee is currently making plans for the parade to be held at 5 p.m. in Mount Ayr. The theme is "Celebrating 150 Years Living in Ringgold County." Categories include antique car to 1939, classic cars 1939-1960, antique machinery to 1939, classic machinery 1939-1960, bicycle, political affiliation, fair queen (past and present), horses, horse drawn entry, draft horses, town mayor/council or other ideas.

Following the parade, there will be a parade of flags with horse riders carrying flags from all 50 states along the parade route.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, July 14, 2005

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, July 21, 2005

 

Amanda HYNEK of Beaconsfield was crowned queen at the 2005 Ringgold County Fair and Macy LILIENTHAL of Mount Ayr was crowned princess at the fair's evening entertainment Thursday night.

HYNEK, daughter of Bill and Angie HYNEK of Beaconsfield, was crowned by 2004 fair queen Chelsea CAMPBELL. CAMPBELL helped organize the event as her last official duty as queen.

First runner-up was Amy WEEDA, daughter of Danny and Carol Ann WEEDA of Mount Ayr. She was escorted by Levi CAMERON.

Second runner-up was Debra WILSON, daughter of Fred and Lisa WILSON of Clearfield. Her escort was Branon WERNER.

Princess Macy LILIENTHAL is the daughter of Vic and Shelly LILIENTHAL of Mount Ayr. She was crowned by 2004 fair princess, Ashton QUICK of Tingley. She was escorted by Trevor GOODING.

Other queen candidates and their escorts included:

Jennifer HOSFIELD, daughter of Gary and Linda HOSFIELD of Redding, who was escorted by Matt HYMBAUGH.

Alexis JOHNSON, daughter of Jean JOHNSON of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Zach LYNCH.

Christy JOHNSON, daughter of Mark and LEza JOHNSON of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Cameron WOODY.

Amanda ROTERT, daughter of Ed and Michelle ROTERT of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Merritt TRIGGS.

Other princess candidates and their escorts were:

Samantha CRAWFORD, duaghter of Harold and Melynda CRAWFORD of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Lew KNAPP.

Kristen DOLECHEK, daughter of Lesa DOLECHECK of Diagonal and Roger DOLECHECK of Beaconsfield, who was escorted by Kyle DOLECHECK.

Alexandria ESTES, daughter of Andrea ESTES and Donny WOODLUND of Tingley, who was escorted by Brent BOUNDS.

Sadie FROST, daughter of Justin and Jess FROST of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Mason SMITH.

Blair GLENDENNING, daughter of Todd and Angie GLENDENNING of Redding, who was escorted by Zach Murphy.

Jaci HAIDSIAK, daughter of Josh and Jessie HAIDSIAK of Diagonal, who was escorted by Kole PAXSON.

Cheyenne HAVEMAN, daughter of Dan and Jennifer HAVEMAN of Kellerton, who was escorted by Heath ANDRESEN.

Kasydi KLOMMHAUS, daughter of Kevin and Shelly KLOMMHAUS of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Jacob TODD.

Ryann MARTIN, daughter of Darren and Kisha MARTIN of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Isaac GROSE.

Abbey SCHAFER, daughter of Ron and Liz SCHAFER of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Mitchell LUTRICK.

Kelcie SHEILDS, daughter of Josh and Christi SHIELDS of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Kyler MARTIN.

Sara WINEMILLER, daughter of Craig and Susan WINEMILLER of Mount Ayr, who was escorted by Lucas WERNER.

Also headlining the entertainment for the night was a concert by Sarah DAVISON, Court PRIDY and their band "Headin' South," made up of five honor music students of Belmont University in Nashville, TN.

Band members include Sarah DAVISON, from rural Braddyville, IA, who sings and plays the piano. Court PRIDY, who sings and plays guitar; Loren TUCKER, lead guitar; Nathan WEAVER, drums; and Justin SMITH, bass.

A total of 27 4-H entries were chosen to advance to the Iowa State Fair following judging at the Ringgold County Fair Wednesday afternoon.

Projects in home economics, expressive arts, science and engineering, ag and natural rsources and personal development were judged with winners receiving purple ribbons and advancing to state. Two exhibitors were chosen as alternate state exhibitors as well.

In addition, 32 other exhibits wre recognized as being considred for the state fair and 24 junior projects no eligible to advance were recognized as being outstanding by the judges.

4-H members who had projects advancing to State Fair included:

4-Hers who had projects considered for State Fair but which did not make the final selection included:

Judged as outstanding junior exhibits were the following entries:

Winners were named in the communications events and the clothing selection and fashion revue at the Ringgold County Fair.

Four communications event entries will advance to the Iowa State Fair from the county fair judging.

Two Share the Fun projects will go on to state. They were the clogging dance to "Orange Blossom Special" by Megan DOUBLEDAY and Elisha DOUBLEDAY and Courtney WEEDA'S clogging dance to "Dance."

Working exhibits on "How to Make Stress Balloons" by Megan DOUBLEDAY and Shelby SICKELS and "I Spy Jars" by Tom HOSFIELD and RUssellREYNOLDS both advanced as well.

Three outstanding junior awards were presented and a blue ribbon given to the 4-H clothing selection and fashion revue competition at the fair.

Winning outstanding junior awards in the clothing selection competition were Megan DOUBLEDAY of the Kellerton Miracle Workers and Taylen ABARR of the Lotts Creek-Riley Rustlers. DOUBLEDAY chose a black dress accented by pink and red flowers along with pink jeweled accessories and black sandals. The outfit was designed for church and church camp. ABARR chose a triple-striped skort with a two-toned lavender top. She chose white blackless tennis shoes and a silver watch, ankle bracelet and heart-shaped earrings.

Becky BAKER of the Sunshine Workers 4-H Club received a blue ribbon as an intermediate entry. She exhibited the dress she wore to eighth grade graduation.

In the fashion revue judging, those taking part had sewn the outfit that they modeled.

Elisha DOUBLEDAY of the Kellerton Miracle Workers received an outstanding junior award for the Broncos-themed jacket that she made for Nathan NOVOTNY. The jacket was made of a cotton knit material and has orange sleeves and hoot, blue vest area and a Broncos emblem.

Amanda HYNEK entered the fashion revue as a senior for fun. Her entry was a white polyester suit with blue pin-stripes and pink trim.

Results were reported for several other competitions for 4-H club members during the Ringgold County Fair.

A challenge recipe contest was held where 4-Hers baked sugar cookies from a common recipe.

Elisha DOUBLEDay of the Kellerton Miracle Workers had the champion cookies in the contest. Courtney WEEDA of the Tingley Toppers had the reserve champion cookies.

In the competition for the best 4-H booth in the exhibit building the Crooked Creek Beavers took first place; the Kellerton Miracle Workers were second; and, the Tingley Toppers were third.

In the herdsmanship competition for the livestock barns, the Tingley Toppers placed first; the Crooked Creek Beavers were second; and the Junior Farmers placed third.

A mud volleyball competition was held during the fair as well. Winning was the Mark PALOOZA team.

Winners were named in six livestock shows as judges picked from entries on four days during the week of the Ringgold County Fair last week. Selections of top swine, sheep, goats, poultry, horses and small animal exhbitis were made and judges presented their resons to the exhibitors and audience watching the proceedings.

Highlights of the judging are reported this week and listings of ribbons for livestock entries will be included in a future issue of The Mount Ayr Record-News as they become available.

Tiffany WIMER (right) of the Junior Farmers showed the champion halter horse entry and Logan WIMER of the Junior Farmers took reserve halter honors as part of the horse show at the Ringgold County Fair Thursday afternoon.

WIMER took the honors with her horse Cresen (right) and WIMER showed her horse Bailey for reserve champion honors.

In addition to the halter classes, several performance classes were also judged in the show.

In the halter classes, winners were named in seven classes before the champion and reserve champions were chosen.

WIMER showed Cresen to top honors in the beginning horse class. Kelsey MESSTER of the Lotts Creek-Riley Rustlers showed Curly to the top spot in the 2005 foal class. Devin WINEMILLER of the Tingley Toppers showed Roany to the top of the yearling light horse class and won the two-year-old horse class with Stoney.

Alden ADAMS of the Lotts Creek-Riley RUstlers won the three year to nine year class with Dink. Kelsey MEESTER of the Lotts Creek-Riley Rustlers won the 10 year and older class with Smokey. MESSTER also won the mare and foal class with Lady and Curly.

Winning junior showmanship in the horse competition was Logam WIMER of the Junior Farmers while Kelsey MEESTER took senior showmanship honors.

In the performance classes the winners included:

Western Pleasure -- 1. Kelsey MEESTER, Lots Creek-Riley Rustlers with Smokey.

Western Horsemanship -- 1. Tiffany WIMER, Junior Farmers with Creston.

Junior Barrels -- 1. Shelby WAMBOLD, Kellerton Miracle Workers, with Sassy.

Senior Barrels -- 1. Joe WERNER, Twin River Tornadoes, with Bartles.

Junior Trail Riding -- 1. Tiffany WIMER, Junior Farmers, with Cresen.

Senior Trail Riding -- 1. Joe WERNER, Twin River Tornadoes, with Bartles.

Johnahan TRIGGS, Breanna SWANSON and Amy WEEDA took the top honors in the swine show held Friday morning at the fair.

Johnathan TRIGGS of the Junior Farmers showed the champion (left) and reserve champion market swine and the reserve champion commercial guilt.

Breanna SWANSON of the Crooked Creek Beavers showed the grand champion commercial guilt and reserve champion pen of three.

Amy WEEDA of the Tingley Toppers showed the grand champion pen of three.

Brandon WERNER of the Tingley Toppers was named the winner of the county-wide swine project and Johnathan TRIGGS of the Junior Farmers won showmanship honors.

Johnathan TRIGGS showed the grand champion market swine, a 244-pound entry that was first in class 2 of the judging. TRIGGS' reserve champion was a 255-pound entry that won class 3.

Also winning classes in the market competition included Erin DOLECHECK in class 2, Johnathan TRIGGS in class 4 and Breanna SWANSON in class 5.

In the commercial guilt show, Breanna SWANSON of Crooked Creek Beavs showed the 227-pound winner in class 1 to the commercial gilt grand championship. Johnathan TRIGGS had the number two hog in that class, which was named reserve champion.

Amy WEEDA had shown the top hog in the commercial gilt class 2 before the final decision was made.

In the market swine pen of three, Amy WEEDA brought home first place with the grand championship and Brenna SWANSON of Crooked Creek Beavers taking reserve champion honors.

The county-wide swine project was judged with Brandon WERNER of the Tingley Toppers taking first place.

In the carcass competition, Amy WEEDA, Johnathan TRIGGS and Breanna SWANSON had the top placers in the live show. Placings after slaughter showed Johnathan TRIGGS from the Junior Farmers with the champion and Lyndsey SICKELS of the Kellerton Miracle Workers with the reserve champion.

Johnathan TRIGGS of the Junior Farmers rounded out a great day by taking the showmanship honors for the swine show.

Amy WEEDA and Courtney WEEDA took all the top honors in the sheep show at the fair Friday afternoon.

Amy WEEDA of the Tingley Toppers showed the top feeder lamb, champion and reserve maket lamb and commercial ewe. WEEDA also won showmanship honors.

Courtney WEEDA of the Tingley Toppers had the top pen of three and rate of gain entry in the fair.

In the feeder market lamb class, Amy WEEDA took top honors while Courtney WEEDA had the reserve entry.

In the market lamb show, Amy WEEDA took both the grand champion and reserve champion honors with lambs shown in Class 1. Courtney WEEDA had the top market lamb in Class 2.

Courtney WEEDA won the pen of three contest with Amy WEEDA taking reserve champion honors there.

Showmanship honors went to Amy WEEDA while Courtney WEEDA had the best rate of gain lamb entry.

Courtney WEEDA (near left) showed the champion dairy goat and Kurtis FOOKEN had the reserve champion while Kyle HAYSE (far left) swept the market classes and the rate of gain contest in the goat show held Friday afternoon.

Russell REYNOLDS had the top breeding goat and Allison FOOKEN took showmanship honors.

In the dairy goat judging, Courtney WEEDA of the Tingley Toppers showed the champion, which had won the senior doe two years and older classes in preliminary judging.

Kurtis FOOKEN of the Tingley Toppers showed the reserve champion, which had placed second in the same class.

Other class winners were Russell REYNOLDS of the Sunshine Workers in the junior doe class 1, Kurtis FOOKEN of the Tingley Toppers in the junior doe class 2, Courtney WEEDA of the Tingley Toppers in the senior doe class 1, Haley OLSEN of the Lotts Creek-Riley Rustlers in senior doe class 2.

Kyle HAYSE of the Junior Farmers had the champion and reserve champion in the market doe class. Amy FOOKEN of the Tingley Toppers showed the top individual market wether.

In the breeding goat class, Russell REYNOLDS of the Sunshine Workers showed the champion while Kurtis FOOKEN came in second.

Allison FOOKEN was the showmanship winner and Kyle HAYSE had the goat which had the best rate of gain.

Allison FOOKEN, Amanda HYNEK, Kaylin BERGER and Russell REYNOLDS had the top entries in the poultry show, judging held Friday afternoon.

Allison FOOKEN of the Tingley Toppers showed the top fryer chicken, the top other market poultry contest with a goose and the top production poultry class with a goose.

Amanda HYNEK of the Tingley Toppers took home the top prize in the broiler chicken class.

Russell REYNOLDS of the Sunshine Workers won the showmanship honors of the chicken show.

Bailey CAMERON and Nikki HEAD won the top prizes in the bucket calf show at the Fair.

Bailey CAMERON of the Tingley Toppers won the bucket calf plus one show and showed the reserve in the bucket calf junior show.

Nikki HEAD of the Tingley Toppers showed the champion junior bucket calf.

Brad ENGLAND, Tyler BECKER and April SHIELDS had the top entries in the feeder calf show Saturday morning.

Brad ENGLAND of the Tingley Toppers showed the champion steer feeder calf. Tyler BECKER of the Twin River Tornadoes showed the champion heifer feeder calf. Champion bull reeder calf honors went to April SHIELDS of the Junior Farmers.

Sheldon TRIGGS of the Junior Farmers had the reserve champion steer feeder calf. April SHIELDS of the Junior Farmers showed the reserve champion heifer feeder calf. Levi MARTIN of the Junior Farmers had the reserve bull feeder calf.

Tyler BECKER showed the supreme heifer and Amy TRIGGS had the reserve supreme heifer in the breeding beef show Saturday.

Sheldon TRIGGS showed the champion commercial heifer of the show and Alicia SHIELDS of the Tingley Toppers had the reserve commercial heifer.

Also in the ring for final judging were class winners or runner-ups shown by Lyndi YODER of the Junior farmers and Katelyn WARIN of the Junior Farmers.

April SHIELDS had the champion registered Shorthorn and Claire ANDRESEN of the Kellerton Miracle Workers took reserve honors.

In the cow-calf competition, Chad BAILEY of the Crooked Creek Beavers took champion honor and Brad ENGLAND of the Tingley Toppers had the reserve champion pair. Also in the ring for the selection were entries by Ryan BAILEY of the Crooked Creek Beavers and Ryan ENGLAND of the Twin River Tornadoes.

The top winners of each of the breeding beef classes were then judged to name the supreme heifer of the show.

Tyler BECKER of the Twin River Tornadoes took this honor with his registered Angus champion and Amy TRIGGS of the Junior Farmers took reserve honors with her reserve registerd Angus heifer.

A total of 23 market steers were shown in seven classes before April SHIELDS (above) had what was chosen as the champion market beef and Holly ENGLAND had the reserve of the show.

SHIELDS, of the Junior Farmers, and ENGLAND, of the Tingley Toppers, had the top two market steers in class 2 named as the top of the show.

Others with steers in the ring for the final selection included Amy TRIGGS of the Junior Farmers, Kylee KLOMMHAUS of the Lotts Creek-Riley Rustlers, Chad BAILEY of the Crooked Creek Beavrs, Brennon SHEILDS of the Mount Ayr Community FFA chapter, Brad ENGLAND of the Tingley Toppers and Tyler BECKER of the Twin River Tornadoes.

Tyler BECKER won the beef rate of gain contest with an average daily gain of 3.832 pounds per day.

In the pen of three market beef competition, results will not be available until the animals are killed and carcass results received.

Katelyn WARIN of the Junior Farmers won junior showmanship honors and Ethan ANDRESEN of the Kellerton Miracle Workers won senior showmanship honors.

Allison FOOKEN, Russell REYNOLDS, Kaylin BERGER and Jenna BERGER each had some of the top placings in the rabbit show held Sunday afternoon.

In the commerical rabbit show, Allison FOOKEN (right) of the Tingley Toppers showed the grand champion entry, a New Zealand, and Russell REYNOLDS of the Sunshine Workers showed the reserve champion rabbit, a Californian.

In the fancy rabbit show, Russell REYNOLDS of the Sunshine Workers showed the champion, a Mini Rex, and Kaylin BERGER of the Kellerton Miracle Workers showed the reserve champion, a Polish rabbit.

In the meat pen of three judging, Russell REYNOLDS of the Sunshine Workers showed the champions and Jenna BERGER of the Kellerton Miracle Workers had the reserve pen.

Rabbit showmanship honors went to Allison FOOKEN.

Judging was done in training and grooming for the dogs in the 4-H dog show Sunday afternoon.

In the training events, Christine JOHNSON of the Lotts Creek-Riley Rustlers had the grand champion and Ariel JOHNSON of the Lotts Creek-Riley Rustlers showed the reserve champion.

In the grooming competition, Rebekah BAKER of the Sunshine Workers had the grand champion and Jennifer HOSFIELD of the Sunshine Workers had the reserve champion.

Kaylin BERGER received the award for dog showmanship.

Another competitve show Sunday was the annual pet show.

Logan WIMER of the Junior Farmers was named the show champion with her pet cats and Tom HOSFIELD was named the reserve champion with his pet ducks.

Winners were named in the Bill Riley Talent Show, open class feeder calf show and games held as part of the Ringgold County Fair.

Winners were named in the sprout and senior divisions of the Bill Riley Talent Show held at the fair Thursday night. Winners included:

Sprout Division -- 1. Tiffany JOHNSON of Centerville with a dance routine; 2. Alexis GRAHAM of Lamoni with a vocal solo; 3. Lew and Reece KNAPP of Redding with a dance routine.

Senior Division -- 1. Holly ENGLAND, Maddi STARK and Erin BUDACH from Mount Ayr with a dance routine; 2. Brittany and Tara COSGROVE from Centerville with a dance routine; and, 3. Breanne and Stephanie McDONNEL fom Mount Ayr with a dance routine.

The top entries in both divisions qualify to advance to the Iowa State Fair.

Winners of the open class feeder calf show, which had 22 entrants, were announced.

This year's champion in the feeder calf steer category was shown by Holly ENGLAND from Mount Ayr and Tyler WADDINGHAM of Diagonal came in second.

Inthe feeder calf bull class, first place was taken by Brian ENGLAND of Mount Ayr and second place was taken by Sara STUDER of Creston.

The feeder calf heifer class winners were Jacon LEUTS from Creston in first place and Konner KLOMMHAUS from Mount Ayr in second.

Events were held for youth who are too young to take part in the 4-H activites at the fair as well. These included the Peewee Wrangler contest and a pet show.

There were 16 entries in this year's Peewee Wrangler competition. Each competitor received a certificat and then two overall prizes were given.

Tyler WADDINGTON of Diagonal had the top calf. The award for top costume went to Sarah and Megan REASONER from Ellston.

4-H County Council members planned and carried out the Future 4-H'er Pet Show.

Jennifer HOSFIELD and Alden ADAMS talked with the exhibitors as they shared their pet with the audience.

Participants were Adeah MARTINEZ with her dog Sakima, winning for the most unusual pet name; and Lew KNAPP with dog Flash, having the longest ears; Lew KNAPP with his chicken Dots, who had the longests toes; Samantha CRAWFORD with her chicken Rosie, having the most polka dots.

Maci LILIENTHAL brought her goat Vanessa and it had the perttiest eyes; Tyler BIRDWELL'S goat Vinnie had the pointiest tail. Kaci STACKHOUSE had the goat Suzie, who was the friendliest pet in the show.

Dustin MOAT entered a calf, Sparky. Sparky led the best of all the animal.

Maggie BJUSTROM brought her rabbit Thumper and he was the most portable by riding in a denim purse. Megan REASONER'S rabbit Flower had the softest fur and Sarah REASONER'S rabbit Cookie had the floppiest ears.

A duck was brought by Anthony KINSEY. His name is Daffy DUck. Anthony knew the most about any of the pets and he received the most knowlegeable award.

Leigh DAVIS entered hamsters Abbot and Costello. These were honored by being the smallest pets in the competition.

Samantha CRAWFORD brought Molly the cat. Molly was the fluffiest. Benjamin SAVILLE exhibited Rascal. Rascal's name matched him perfectly so he received the most fitting name.

Helen GROSS received best of show in the open class for her history and genealogy project as well as her sesquicentennial project at the Ringgold County Fair last week.

The junior division winner was Jarod BUCHKO.

There were a total of 366 general entries and 278 junior entries for a grand total of 614 participants in both categories conbined.

All together, 246 blue ribbons, 81 red ribbons an nine white ribbons were awarded in the general category. The junior category had 199 blue ribbon winners, 79 red ribbon winners and no white ribbon winners.

Winner of the creative arts class was Angie HYNEK. There were 54 general entires, and 197 junior entries.

Judy LINN was the winner of the needlework category.There were 30 general participants and two junior participants.

The winner of the housing category was Muriel JOHNSON. There were 61 general entries and 18 junior entries.

Virginia SCOTT was at the top of the baking category. There were 24 general entries and 16 junior entries.

The winner of the canning category was Doug STILL. There were six general entries and no junior entries.

Laurie COX won the fresh fruits and vegetables. There were 19 general entries and 16 junior entries.

The flower class was won by Marilyn RICHARDS. There were 40 general entries and 17 junior entries.

Mike ZARR was the winner of the craftsmanship class. There were 13 general entries and one junior entry.

The winner of the history and genealogy class was Helen GROSS. There were 12 general entries and one junior entry.

Eva KNAPP was the winner of the quilt division. There were 17 general entries and one junior entry.

The photography class winner was Terri NEWTON. There were 47 general entries and nine junior entries.

Helen GROSS was the winner of the sesquicentennial class. There were 13 general entries but no junior entries.

Contestants from Corning and Creston were crowned cowgirl queens at the annual cowgirl queen and junior queen contest at the Ringgold County Fair this year.

Judging was done Wednesday night and the winners were announced at the rodeo Saturday night. Contestants for the title came from Adams, Ringgold, Decatur, Taylor and Union counties.

Named junior cowgirl was Rachael PETERSON of Corning (near left). She is the daughter of Kris and Tim PETERSON of Corning.

Others in the junior cowgirl competetion were Tiffany WIMER, daughter of Mike and Shelly WIMER of Mount Ayr; and Shelby WAMBOLD, daughter of Tim WAMBOLD and Judy LILLY of Grand River.

Named senior cowgirl queen was Stacy STRAUSS (above, far left), daughter of Perry and Brenda STRAUSS of Creston.

Others taking part in the senior cowgirl contest included Darci HATFIELD, daughter of Donald and Marla HENDRIX of Leon; Hanna COVINGTON, daughter of Mike and Janice COVINGTON of Leon; Katilyn BUSCHER, daughter of Marvin and Kathele BAKER of Corning; and Kristen ROBERTS, daughter of Ken and Tracy ROBERTS of Corning.

The cowgirl contest included an interview, performing a western pleasure pattern on a horse and a dinner.

Junior cowgirl contestants were 10-15 years of age by January 1, 2005. Senior cowgirl contestants were 16-26 years of age by January 1, 2005.

Winners are eligible to participate in the Iowa State Fair senior and junior cowgirl queen pageants.

~ ~ ~ ~

Among winners in the Ringgold County Fair baby contest were:

0 to 5 month class, Top from left: Jeremiah Hyde with Sondra Gaiser, Linsie Barnes with Tracy Barnes, xx with xx, Mallory Weehler with Kim Weehler, Trenton Swank with Niccole Swank, Nathan Novotny with Matthew Novotny, Riley Jones with Rebecca Jones, Eva Sobotka with Dee Sobotka, Kaden Kibbe with Sherry Briner, Kody Kibbe with Robert Kibbe and Tegan Streit with Jamie Streit.

6 to 12 month winners included, bottom right from left: Riley Stark with Stacy DeHart, Will Newton with Sara Newton, Madison Shields with Tara Shields, Jillian and Tessa Kneip with Shaun Kneip, Aiden Albaugh with Heidi Albaugh, Alexis Darrah with Lesa Darrah, Jacob Novak with Amy Novak, Joey Bloom with Natasha Bloom and Kianna Paxson with Renda Paxson.

13 to 18 month winners included, bottom left from left: Halsie Barnes with Tracy Barnes, Traivyn Holmes with Travis Holmes, and Payten Lambert with Tracy Lambert.

Twice as many take part in baby contest

Almost twice the number of babies took part in the Ringgold County Fair baby contest held Saturday morning as did at last year's fair. Some 35 babies from newborn to 18 months were entered in the contest, sponsored by Tina's Tots Child Care Center in Diagonal.

Winners in the various age groups included:

Boys personality -- 1. Nathan NOVOTNY, son of Matthew and Laurie NOVOTNY of Mount Ayr; 2. Hunter BERGER, son of Brent GILES and Wendy BERGER of Mount Ayr.

Girls personality -- 1. Mallory WEEHLER, daughter of Randy and Kim WEEHLER of Maloy; 2. Linsie BARNES, daughter of Shannona nd Tracy BARNES of Tingley.

Long and short of it -- Longest hair: 1. Skyler EDWARDS, daughter of D.J. and Kubysa EDWARDS of Kellerton. Shortest hair: 1. Gavyn KLOMMHAUS, son of Kory and Tish KLOMMHAUS of Clearfield. Straightest hair: 1. Kaen and Kody KIBBE, sons of Sherry BRINER and Robert KIBBE of Tingley. Curliest hair: 1. Kira EGLY, daughter of John and DaNelle EGLEY of Diagonal. Best decorated hair: 1. Riley JONES, daughter of Spence and Rebecca JONES of Kellerton. Least hair: 1. Jeramiah HYDE, son of Sondra GAISER of Kellerton.

Decorated diaper -- Prettiest: 1. Eva SOBOTKA, daughter of Mike and Dee SOBOTKA of Mount Ayr. Craziest: 1. Trenton SWANK, son of Travis and Niccole SWANK of Mount Ayr.

Sleepy time -- 1. Tegan STREIT, daughter of Thad and Jamie STREIT of Mount Ayr; 2. Angeline SMITH, daughter of Brad and Vanessa SMITH of Mount Ayr.

Boys personality -- 1. Joey BLOOM, son of Natasha BLOOM of Mount Ayr; 2. Jaydon KNIGHT, son of Megan and Jacobs KNIGHT of Tingley.

Girls personality -- 1. Tessa KNIEP, daughter of Clint and Shaun KNIEP of Redding; 2. Anna NEWTON, daugher of Terri and Steve NEWTON of Diagonal.

Smile and shine -- Most teeth: 1. Jillian KNIEP, daughter of Clint and Shaun KNIEP of Redding. Least teeth: 1. Kianna PAXSON, daughter of John and Renda PAXSON of Mount Ayr. Biggest smile: 1. Jacob NOVAK, son of Amy and Jeremy NOVAK of Diagonal.

Long and short of it -- Longest hair: 1. Madison SHIELDS, daughter of Andy and Tara SHIELDS of Mount Ayr. Shortest hair: 1. Alexis DARRAH, daughter of John and Lesa DARRAH of Redding. Straightest hair: 1. Will NEWTON, son of Jeremy and Sarah NEWTON of Mount Ayr. Curliest hair: 1. Riley STARK, son of Stacy DeHART and Rick STARK of Kellerton. Best decorated hair: 1. Jillian KNIEP, daughter of Clint and Shaun KNIEP of Redding.

Pioneer baby -- 1. Aidan ALBAUGH, daughter of David and Heidi ALBAUGH of Mount Ayr; 2. Trey FOOKEN, son of Brian and Amber FOOKEN of Mount Ayr.

Decorated diaper -- Prettiest: 1. Joey BLOOM, son of Natasha BLOOM of Mount Ayr. Craziest: 1. Kaylie SHIELDS, daughter of Josh and Christy SHIELDS of Mount Ayr.

Boys personality -- 1. Traivyn HOLMES, son of Travis HOLMES of Kellerton.

Girls personality -- 1. Halsie BARNES, daughter of Shannon and Tracy BARNES of Tingley; 2. Payten LAMBERT, daughter of Derek and Tracy LAMBERT of Mount Ayr.

Long and short of it -- Longest hair: 1. Halsie BARNES, daughter of Shannon and Tracy BARNES of Tingley. Shortest hair: 1. Traivyn HOLMES, son of Travis HOLMES of Kellerton. Straightest hair: 1. Payten LAMBERT, daughter of Derek and Tracy LAMBERT of Mount Ayr. Curliest hair: 1. Taylor CLYMER, daughter of Ashley CLYMER of Mount Ayr. Best decorated hair: 1. Payten LAMBERT, daughter of Derek and Tracy LAMBERT of Mount Ayr.

Oreo eating contest -- Messiest: 1. Traivyn HOLMES, son of Travis HOLMES of Kellerton. Cleanest: 1. Payten LAMBERT, daughter of Derek and Tracy LAMBERT of Mount Ayr.

Results were reported for some of the winners in entertainment events for the Ringgold County Fair this past week.

Results from the mud run and the demolition derby on Sunday night were reported. No results were available for the tractor pull or the rodeo events.

Winners were named in the mud run, held in newly built pits on the Ringgold County Fairgrounds.

In the 4-wheeler competition, Robert MARTIN of Mount Ayr was first, Ben GRAHAM of Diagonal was second and Brian ENGLAND of Mount Ayr was third.

In the modified competition, Ron BAUER was first, Justin MURPHY of Mount Ayr was second and Chris KUONAN was third.

In the open truck division, Ron GEORGE placed first, Joe GEORGE placed second and Kent ENGLAND of Ellston was third.

In the stock truck division, Rich HOVAR placed first, Lonnie SWIGART was second and Colton WEEHLER of Mount Ayr was third.

Adam HOCH took home first place honors in the Ringgold County Fair demolition derby held Sunday night.

In the feature, Ryan REED placed second, Pat BAKRE was third and Chris MITZ placed fourth.

In the small car event, Bob CHRISTENSEN was first and Billy SHIELDS took second.

Adam McFARLAND of Afton won the consolation final with Bryan REED placing second.

Heat winners in the preliminaries included Derick REED, John DARRAH, Christ METZ, Clinton REED, Pat BAKER, Renee BAKER, Curtis MONGAR, Aaron HOCH, Alvan SNYDER, Cole WILLIS and John MOSER.

Preliminary sales figures from the livestock auction at the Ringgold County Fair showed a total of $41,835, compared to $34,666.40 raised in the sale in 2004.

This year there were 50 swine sold, bringing $10,108, compared to 30 hogs selling for $7,880 last year.

There were 21 head of beef cattle sold this year, bringing $29,786. This compares to 17 head of cattle sold for $23,474 last year.

Seven sheep were sold for $1,754, compared to 19 sheep which brought $3,010 last year.

The 14 rabbits sold brought $65 compared to seven rabbits which sold for $75 last year.

A total of five poultry were sold for $80 this year, compared to 26 poultry bringing $227.50 last year.

One goat was sold for $42 this year. There were no goats sold last year.

Several other items were sold at the fair this year as well.

The annual 4-H pie auction brought in $4,615 to the 4-H Extension Youth Fund. This compares to $3,865 raised by the sale last year.

Brandon WERNER of Tingley Toppers had the champion pie in the judging, a black raspberry pie, and Allison FOOKEN of the Tingley Toppers had the reserve champion pie, a cherry pie.

A pie was prepared by Landi McFARLAND in honor of Jessica PIERSCHBACHER, who had brought a pie to the auction every year since joining 4-H.

Planters from the various 4-H clubs and small round bales made during the antique machinery display were also sold, as was a sesquicentennial basket, to support county fair activities.

Ringgold County 4-H would like to thank the following businesses/individuals for their support for 4-H at the 2005 Ringgold County Fair.

Great Western Bank for sponsoring/serving the supper for the 4-Hers and their families.

Hy-Vee for sponsoring the Ringgold County 4-H Council Pancake Breakfast.

An evening of music on the square to benefit the Princess Theatre fund will be held Sunday, July 24, at 4 p.m. at the shelter house on the Ringgold county courthouse square.

Peggy Sue's is hosting the event which will feature local talented singers. A freewill doantion will be taken for the theater.

The HARDY Family Singers, Pam POORe, sisters Mary DAVENPORT and Margaret BICKERS, the Rev. Butch BLACK and other local talent will be singing.

People are invited to bring their lawn chairs, join in the fun and sing along.

We have survived the fair and sesquicentennial and a week of breakdowns, and are here to say that things are looking up.

The week before the Ringgold County Fair and sesquicentennial celebration was one of break downs at the Mount Ayr Record-News.

Take Monday, July 11. That was the day the air conditioning stopped working at the office. I'm sure you remember what the week was like. We were in a hot spell without any relief. It wasn't until Friday that the air conditioning got fixed, so we suffered through trying to use fans and open doors to survive. One afternoon as I melted in a puddle and swatted at a pesky fly that had determined to pay me a visit, I wondered how we all survived the days before air conditioning.

The air conditioner wasn't our only problem. The large color printer that prints out the pages we use to paste up the paper went on the blink. First it said it needed a new toner cartridge. When that was replaced, it went hay wire. The brain that tells when new toner isn't able to reset. A trip to Des Moines to the repair place got the printer going again, but only until it goes down again. They said it was terminal.

Then the light bulbs in the front office decided that it was time to be changed. It was climb the ladder and get them changed or issue flashlights to customers as they came in the heat -- and now didn't have light.

Monday was capped off when I went to the school board meeting and then couldn't get the car to start. I had to leave it in the school parking lot and walk home.

After surviving a day like that, the next problem was that one of our newest computers decided to go on the blink. Hours and hours of fiddling around trying to get it to work and I didn't make any progress. I had visions of losing all the files on it -- many of which were crucial.

I decided that it wasn't a good week to break a mirror or walk under a ladder.

I looked forward to the fair and sesquicentennial celebration. Then we were saddened by learning of the death of Jessica Pierschbacher after her battle with cancer. There were bittersweet moments throughout the fair as she was remembered -- from changing the schedule of the fair on the morning of her funeral to having pie in the auction in her name as the fair wound down.

The week of no air conditioning helped prepare me for the week of hot weather at the fair. People didn't let the weather stop them from attending as good crowds took part in activities all week long.

The fair coverage was going along pretty well. With the help of Valle, I had even been able to work on a float for the parade. Lynn Rinehart offered a trailer to pull, I enlarged pages from the newspaper from the 1880s, the centennial celebration in 1955 and a recent paper as well as a poster telling about the Mount Ayr Record-News serving news and advertising for the county for 141 years. I added some black and white balloons, festooned with ribbon, thanks to Angie Glendenning, and with the help of Linda and Gordon Winkler, who were going to drive the float for me while I took pictures, I thought I had things in hand. I delivered the sign for the church float in the parade and headed for the fairgrounds.

I misjudged the time and when I tried to head north on Highway 169 to the fairgrounds, the highway was already blocked to traffic.

It was then that I realized that it's not easy to get there from here without using Highway 169. I made a wild detour across town, out West Street to the state fish hatchery and then back to Highway 169 from the north.

The parade was already entered the fairgrounds by the time I made it through the north gate. I ran as fast as I could across the field, arriving at the corner where the parade was turning north just in time to get a picture of the first parade entry. I apologize to anyone who I frightened in making my quick detour.

Things started turning for the better Sunday. Valle and I got the good news that we were grandparents. Then the nice rain came Monday morning. That was what the doctor ordered for crops and yards. The air conditioning worked at the office this week. I fixed that recalcitrant computer . . . finally.

Hopefully we'll get back on a roll where things are working again. I certainly don't want to go through a week like that again.

Celebrating 150 Years, Ringgold County's Sesquicentennial, 2005

Photographs by H. Alan Smith, courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News

Record-News Office photograph workshopped by Sharon R. Becker

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2012

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