Right out of the coop — er, mailbox, feathers were flying once again as the clucks of competitors filled the air during the annual Chicken Flying Contest Sept. 1 at the 200th Great Geauga County Fair.
Right out of the coop — er, mailbox, feathers were flying once again as the clucks of competitors filled the air during the annual Chicken Flying Contest Sept. 1 at the 200th Great Geauga County Fair.
A convoy of yellow school buses made their annual trek to the Geauga County Fairgrounds in Burton with hundreds of six-graders arriving just in time for the returning battle between Kenston and West Geauga Schools.
“Last year, West Geauga won,” said Kenston Superintendent Steven Sayers. “They currently hold the bragging rights and trophy, but it’s a new year and on any given day, your chicken can win.”
This year’s contest was organized and conducted by Michael Blair, of the Geauga County Farm Bureau, and featured West Geauga Middle School Principal Meagan Bellan and Kenston Middle School Principal Adam Fender, who gently placed their chickens in their respective mailboxes.
The competition between the two schools began in 2009 in conjunction with the first Geauga Learn Program, a back-to-school tradition that allows local sixth-grade students to attend the fair where they learn about farming, agriculture, farm animals and earn credit for school.
“Our sixth-grade students have attended the Geauga County fair for many years and we are excited for them to take part in this year’s program, ‘Know and Grow,’ sponsored by the Farm Bureau,” said Fender. “We have a great chance to take back the trophy that West Geauga claimed last year.”
Flights are made from a pole high perch and the flying distance is measured from starting point to landing.
Chickens tend to be pedestrians, so the middle school principals encouraged their birds to fly by guiding them with a plunger in their rear rudder section onto the playing field.
“In the past, I used my own birds with mixed success. My last winner was a Silver Gray Dorking, but I’ve used a variety of breeds,” said West Geauga Superintendent Richard Markwardt.
Once the chickens landed, a flurry of kids in the grandstand area went running after them.
West Geauga Schools’ entry in the 2022 chicken flying contest was Red, a Rhode Island Red, who was provided by sixth-grader Dominic Matthews.
Red rewarded the cheering West Geauga Middle School students with a winning flight of 7 feet and 10 inches, defending the district’s coveted trophy.
“It was an unexpected win,” said Bellan. “After Red only jumped seven feet, I thought we were for sure not going to win, so it was even more glorious that we were able to.”
Kenston’s chicken, named Bomber, a Fancy from a local farm raised by a 4-H student, clucked in at 6 feet and 8 inches.
Other feathered contestants taking the plunge together included names like Oreo, Phoenix and Chewbacca Junior.
The annual contest was open to any adult or child who enters a hen or rooster with prizes awarded for both winners. The winning hen and winning rooster compete for an additional prize.
Grand Champion winner gets $50. First Place is a trophy and $25 cash for winning hen and rooster.
In a fly-off between Petrosh, a hen provided by Jacob Shively, and Butterscotch, a rooster provided by Hailey Szachury, Petrosh became this year’s grand champion with a flight of 23 feet.
