The first-ever Donut Eating Contest held during the 2015 Orleans County 4-H Fair was recognized recently by the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), which awarded the competition first place (fairs under 100,000 in attendance division) in the Competitive Exhibits (participatory contest) category of its annual contest program.
Officials at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension say they are pleased with the international attention.
“This is the first time our fair has been recognized with an IAFE award and we’re all very excited,” says Robert Batt, Orleans County 4-H Youth Development Educator.
The award was presented at the IAFE Convention in Las Vegas Nov. 29-Dec. 2. Brandon Johnson traveled to the convention to accept the award and to represent the Orleans Fair, Batt says. Additionally, Johnson looked for exciting new entertainment possibilities to bring to the Orleans County 4-H Fair.
“Our entry will be put on a flash drive and shared along with all other winners with all member fairs,” he explains.
The contest program awards, “display the level of professionalism we strive to uphold in the industry,” the IAFE website states. IAFE represents more than 1,000 fairs around the world.
“These awards allow our fair members to not only compete for top honors in the respective division, contest, and categories, but also give fair representatives the opportunity to network. Having the ability to learn from one another in the fair industry is priceless,” the IAFE website continues.
The Orleans County 4-H Fair Donut Eating Contest was sponsored by Dunkin Donuts and featured heats involving three participants at a time going head to head with a local law enforcement officer from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department to see who could consume the most donuts during a set period of time.
The contest garnered rave reviews from participants and audience members alike.
“Many people have already commented that they plan to participate again next year and we have a small number of sheriff’s deputies working on plans and strategies for next year,” Orleans County Fair officials stated in their entry for the award.
