Adam Huening
Kids were running every which way and screams of fear and excitement were commonplace Monday at the Decatur County 4-H Fair.
However, the midway wasn’t the source of excitement and activity, at least not at 6 p.m. The annual frog jumping contest, sponsored by Indiana Farm Bureau, got the fair hopping as a few dozen local pond hoppers and creek waders brought their best amphibian friends to the Community Building to vie for the top prize and bragging rights.
Kids from all over the county spent anywhere from a few weeks to a few hours searching for the perfect frog to best the competition. There were plump green frogs, giant bullfrogs and some barely past the tadpole stage hopping through the arena at the sometimes insistent urgings of their young handlers.
Of course, where a frog may jump and how far is not always a predictable event. Some went backwards, others sideways and some slipped through the holds of their handlers and the jumping pad to flee into the crowd, which gave many a lady in the audience a start and sent kids scurrying to recapture their webbed-footed friends.
Some went forward, especially George, owned by Jarret Wietlisbach, who jumped 55 inches to victory. He was followed by the frogs of Eli Watkins, 49 inches; and Colton Wolter, 48 inches, respectively.
Of course the true prize for the frog was the traditional kiss from Miss Decatur County and the Fair Queen. Elizabeth Lecher, Miss Decatur County 2009, and Erica Stevens, 4-H Fair Queen, did not shy away from their duties. Each planted a kiss on the lips of the little green champion, although, in keeping with previous years, he did not turn into a prince.
