Local ‘celebrities’ milk goats
Dozens of people gathered in the indoor arena to watch four local public safety officials compete in a goat milking contest Thursday night at the Johnson County 4-H and Agricultural Fair.
This was the fourth year for the celebrity goat milking contest, said Mike Morris, a member of the Johnson County 4-H Goat Club. They use the contest as a way to promote the club, he said.
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“There’s no entry fee or anything, it’s just something we like to bring awareness to the dairy aspect of our club,” Morris said. “It’s our way of making people aware that goats produce milk too.”
Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess, Major Matt Rhinehart, Bargersville Fire Department Chief Eric Funkhouser and Franklin Fire Department Deputy Chief Andrew Tames competed against each other in the contest.
Each competitor had seven minutes to get as much milk from the goat into a bucket as they could. 4-H members stood by to offer tips and advice and kept the goat calm during the contest.
Funkhouser won the competition by milking three pounds from the goat. Burgess and Tames tied each with two and a half pounds of milk, and Rhinehart came in last with two pounds of milk.
It was the first time Funkhouser had ever milked an animal. He got lucky with a good goat, he said, laughing.
“It’s a lot of fun to come out here, spend time with the other public safety officials,” Funkhouser said. “We all love coming out here and getting to do stuff like this.”
Water fight: a long standing tradition
A whistle blows and dozens of kids and teenagers dart between the hog barn and cattle barn throwing water balloons and pouring buckets of water on each other at the Johnson County 4-H and Agricultural Fair.
Nobody knows exactly when the tradition began, said Kim Robards who helped coordinate the water fight Thursday afternoon. She remembers participating in it as a little girl, she said.
But one thing is certain: the tradition began as a competition between the hog barns and cattle barns. Now, it’s a free for all for 4-H’ers and anyone else who wants to participate.
“There’s really not a winner, we don’t have a prize,” Robards said. “It’s just (about) having fun.”
Even members of the fair board joined in on the fun.
Kids used cans of shaving cream to guarantee extra fun. They were not allowed to put shaving cream directly in other kids’ faces, and Robards made sure they stayed away from bystanders in the barn.
She monitored the water fight, which lasted about 30 minutes, to make sure everyone played it safe and no one was hurt.
The Bargersville Community Fire Department made a surprise appearance for the first time this year. Firefighters parked a large, red firetruck out of the way and sprayed the kids with the hose. Cole McKnight, a Bargersville firefighter, manned the hose. Kids threw water balloons and poured buckets of water on him as revenge.
By the end, like everyone else, he was soaked.
