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Kids find fun, food
  
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By Andrew Amelinckx
There were a number of talents on display Thursday at the Columbia County Fair in Chatham, from food gorging to hoofing it across the stage.
This year’s fair included some old standbys —hot dog and watermelon eating contests— as well as a new addition, “Columbia County’s Got Talent,” a performing arts competition.
At high noon the hot dog eating contest, broken up into two age divisions, and I must say, not as popular to participate in compared with the later contest.
Marilyn Barry, the fair’s director, and the emcee for the event wasn’t shy in trying to get more people to join the American Legion Post 42 sponsored competition.
While the Electric Blue DJ Service pumped out food related music to eat to, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Eat It,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” and Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” to name a few, the competitors shoved as many hot dogs down their gullets as possible.
The first event was for the younger set, from ages eight to 14. Courtney Haner, 14, of Chatham bested the competition with two and a half dogs downed. Second place went to Joe Oleynek, a 13-year-old from Austerlitz. He apparently didn’t have high hopes for himself going into the competition. When asked by Barry how many hot dogs he thought he could eat, he had answered, “not many,” but he proved himself wrong.
Afterwards Haner told the Register-Star she was quite full, but happy to have won the competition. “It feels pretty good,” she said. I assume she meant winning and not of being overly full.
Three people entered the senior division and all three went home with awards.
Earlton resident Charles Hartman,19, and 20-year-old Elder Trevor Long, an Idaho native in the area on a service project for his church, tied for first place with five and a half dogs eaten. Todd Crego Jr., 16, came in second.
In the name of full disclosure I was the hot dog eating champion last year with six and a half eaten in three minutes, but I decided to go out on top and opted for the watermelon-eating contest instead, which turned out to be a bad choice.
But first there were a number of junior competitors champing at the bit to get to the eating.
The youngest children, ages three to six, were also the most serious and well mannered. Many wiped their mouths with napkins after each bite, and all slowly chewed with their mouths closed.
The winner of that competition was six-year-old Ethen Laird of Hillsdale. Elliot Krantz, a four-year-old from Pittsfield, Mass., earned second place.
In the second event, for seven to 10-year-olds, Lilly Dempsey, 9, of Niverville came out on top, while Stella Feder, an eight-year-old from New York City, came in second.
Then it was my turn. I munched down 12 pieces, two less than the winners, Hartman—the same man who tied for first in the hot dog competition—and 11 year old—that’s right I was beaten by an 11-year-old—Alice Acciani of Chatham. Hartman was given the top spot, due, said the judges, to his rinds having less of the pink left.
Note to self: Don’t enter an eating contest involving messy food items, like watermelon, if you have to work afterwards. I found a piece of the fruit near my elbow; My upper arms, which I hadn’t washed, were sticky; My shirtfront and pants were covered in pink drips; Even after washing my hands I smelled like the stuff.
Afterwards Vicki Simons, who helped judge the competition and is the fair’s vice president, told me I should stick to hot dogs since that appeared to be my forte. I’ll take her advice.
After the eating competition singers and dancers took the stage for the Old Ghent Realty sponsored “Columbia County’s Got Talent.”
“This is the first year we’ve had the competition,” Barry told the crowd. “People seem to be liking it.”
The vociferous crowd did indeed seem to like it and cheered on their friends and competitors.
The competition was judged by Christine Abitabile of Up Stage Productions; Jan Hanvik, executive director of the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center on Manhattan’s Lower East Side; Mark DeGarmo, executive director of Mark DeGarmo & Dancers/Dynamic Forms Inc.; and Stephanie Monseu of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus.
After 18 competitors performed, with an intermittent dance party, including a Conga Line, in between acts, the winners were announced.
In the individual instrumental category 15-year-old Patrick Kervin, playing guitar and singing “House of the Rising Sun” won.
In the ensemble dance category Alissa Cleveland, 16, and 15-year-old Kristianna Hawver came in first; Emily Gaschel, 14, and Caitllyn Patrick, 12, earned second place; and twins Cayla and Corin Smith, both 15, came in third.
In the individual dance category Matthew Lydon, 14, came in first, while Hawver came in second. The top three was rounded out by 15-year-old Camille Parlman.
Finally, in the individual vocal category, 20-year-old Samantha Visconti won first prize, singing “Let’s Hear it for the Boy.” David Higgs, singing “God Bless the USA,” came in second and Emily Palmiieri, 14, came in third with her version of “The Climb.”
The first place winners moved onto the finals that night and are all eligible to attend the state level competition in Syracuse this coming weekend.
Afterwards Visconti said that she was happy to have come in first in the vocal competition. “Oh yeah,” she exclaimed, “I feel like a star.”
She said she had been nervous during the competition. “I was just trying to get the crowd pumped up,” she said.
Of her chances in the finals she said that it wasn’t about winning. “Everyone did a really great job,” she said.
She won the grand prize.
***
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx call 518- 828-1616, ext. 2267 or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com. To comment directly on this story, go to www.registerstar.com.
This year’s fair included some old standbys —hot dog and watermelon eating contests— as well as a new addition, “Columbia County’s Got Talent,” a performing arts competition.
At high noon the hot dog eating contest, broken up into two age divisions, and I must say, not as popular to participate in compared with the later contest.
Marilyn Barry, the fair’s director, and the emcee for the event wasn’t shy in trying to get more people to join the American Legion Post 42 sponsored competition.
While the Electric Blue DJ Service pumped out food related music to eat to, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Eat It,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” and Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” to name a few, the competitors shoved as many hot dogs down their gullets as possible.
The first event was for the younger set, from ages eight to 14. Courtney Haner, 14, of Chatham bested the competition with two and a half dogs downed. Second place went to Joe Oleynek, a 13-year-old from Austerlitz. He apparently didn’t have high hopes for himself going into the competition. When asked by Barry how many hot dogs he thought he could eat, he had answered, “not many,” but he proved himself wrong.
Afterwards Haner told the Register-Star she was quite full, but happy to have won the competition. “It feels pretty good,” she said. I assume she meant winning and not of being overly full.
Three people entered the senior division and all three went home with awards.
Earlton resident Charles Hartman,19, and 20-year-old Elder Trevor Long, an Idaho native in the area on a service project for his church, tied for first place with five and a half dogs eaten. Todd Crego Jr., 16, came in second.
In the name of full disclosure I was the hot dog eating champion last year with six and a half eaten in three minutes, but I decided to go out on top and opted for the watermelon-eating contest instead, which turned out to be a bad choice.
But first there were a number of junior competitors champing at the bit to get to the eating.
The youngest children, ages three to six, were also the most serious and well mannered. Many wiped their mouths with napkins after each bite, and all slowly chewed with their mouths closed.
The winner of that competition was six-year-old Ethen Laird of Hillsdale. Elliot Krantz, a four-year-old from Pittsfield, Mass., earned second place.
In the second event, for seven to 10-year-olds, Lilly Dempsey, 9, of Niverville came out on top, while Stella Feder, an eight-year-old from New York City, came in second.
Then it was my turn. I munched down 12 pieces, two less than the winners, Hartman—the same man who tied for first in the hot dog competition—and 11 year old—that’s right I was beaten by an 11-year-old—Alice Acciani of Chatham. Hartman was given the top spot, due, said the judges, to his rinds having less of the pink left.
Note to self: Don’t enter an eating contest involving messy food items, like watermelon, if you have to work afterwards. I found a piece of the fruit near my elbow; My upper arms, which I hadn’t washed, were sticky; My shirtfront and pants were covered in pink drips; Even after washing my hands I smelled like the stuff.
Afterwards Vicki Simons, who helped judge the competition and is the fair’s vice president, told me I should stick to hot dogs since that appeared to be my forte. I’ll take her advice.
After the eating competition singers and dancers took the stage for the Old Ghent Realty sponsored “Columbia County’s Got Talent.”
“This is the first year we’ve had the competition,” Barry told the crowd. “People seem to be liking it.”
The vociferous crowd did indeed seem to like it and cheered on their friends and competitors.
The competition was judged by Christine Abitabile of Up Stage Productions; Jan Hanvik, executive director of the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center on Manhattan’s Lower East Side; Mark DeGarmo, executive director of Mark DeGarmo & Dancers/Dynamic Forms Inc.; and Stephanie Monseu of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus.
After 18 competitors performed, with an intermittent dance party, including a Conga Line, in between acts, the winners were announced.
In the individual instrumental category 15-year-old Patrick Kervin, playing guitar and singing “House of the Rising Sun” won.
In the ensemble dance category Alissa Cleveland, 16, and 15-year-old Kristianna Hawver came in first; Emily Gaschel, 14, and Caitllyn Patrick, 12, earned second place; and twins Cayla and Corin Smith, both 15, came in third.
In the individual dance category Matthew Lydon, 14, came in first, while Hawver came in second. The top three was rounded out by 15-year-old Camille Parlman.
Finally, in the individual vocal category, 20-year-old Samantha Visconti won first prize, singing “Let’s Hear it for the Boy.” David Higgs, singing “God Bless the USA,” came in second and Emily Palmiieri, 14, came in third with her version of “The Climb.”
The first place winners moved onto the finals that night and are all eligible to attend the state level competition in Syracuse this coming weekend.
Afterwards Visconti said that she was happy to have come in first in the vocal competition. “Oh yeah,” she exclaimed, “I feel like a star.”
She said she had been nervous during the competition. “I was just trying to get the crowd pumped up,” she said.
Of her chances in the finals she said that it wasn’t about winning. “Everyone did a really great job,” she said.
She won the grand prize.
***
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx call 518- 828-1616, ext. 2267 or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com. To comment directly on this story, go to www.registerstar.com.
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