FARMINGTON – Local politicians were thrown into the ring Monday night to battle it out Farmington Fair style- with cows in tow.
The ‘Politically Cow-rect’ competition paired up local candidates for various seats in the upcoming elections with a member of 4-H for a friendly livestock show. The Worthley Arena was quiet as the politicians focused on the job at hand- learning the ropes from their younger trainers.
This was the second year of the Politically Cow-rect livestock show, and the politicians were enthusiastic about joining in on the fun according to the event’s emcee. The teams had to work together to present their cow to the judges- three senior 4-H members who were themselves practicing the art of judging.
As each politician/4-Her/cow trio strutted their stuff around the arena, the judges watched closely for straight backs, deep ribs and steady tracks. Despite tired cows and inexperienced handlers, everyone walked away with a blue ribbon.
“He did alright. He didn’t do everything right though,” 4-H member Amelia Ross said of her teammate Paul Brown, who is seeking to represent House District 113.
Other candidates in the ring included Rep. Russell Black of House District 114, who is running for Senate District 17; Cherieann Harrison, who is running for District 114; Jan Collins, who is running for Senate District 17; Scott Landry, who is running for District 113; and Randy Hall, who is running for District 114.
Keep politics out of fairs.
Politics and fairs have gone hand-in-hand for a great many years. Somewhere around 1956, my Uncle Francis (Henderson) won an ostrich race in the Skowhegan Fair (driving, not riding) which was purported to predict the winner of the race for Sheriff. In fact, Franny won the Sheriff’s race and remained Sheriff for 21 years.
Now, with all the cowherds being awarded blue ribbons, we have no idea how the elections will turn out.