AN OLD-TIME GOOD TIME: SENIORS RELIVE FARM DAYS AT SEMO FAIR

A group of old-time teamsters tried their hand at driving horses Thursday during the Senior Horse/Mule Hitch Challenge at the 145th SEMO District Fair.

Eight contestants over 65 years old competed in the event, which debuted at the fair last year after several older fairgoers mentioned they'd like to see a horse event created especially for seniors.

Teresa Meier, one of the judges for the event, said the rules were simple. Contestants were timed as they drove a pair of Belgian draft horses hitched to a wagon through an obstacle course that included a parking maneuver, several walk-throughs and numerous turns. Five seconds were added each time a marker was overturned or other mistake was made.

All the contestants claimed years of experience gained during the 1930s and 1940s on area farms. However, in most cases, it was the first time in decades they had attempted to handle a team of horses. For safety reasons, each contestant was accompanied during their trip by a second driver.

"Everybody used the same wagon, the same team of horses to make it an even chance for everybody," Meier said. "It's a lot of fun for them because these are the things they would have done when they were back on the farm."

The top driver of the day was Bud Aylor of Poplar Bluff, Mo., who completed the course with a winning time of 2 minutes, 6 seconds. Like all the other contestants, Aylor received a certificate and two tickets to tonight's Oak Ridge Boys concert for competing in the event.

Aylor credited his win to "a lifetime of practice" in farmwork.

"I've been a teamster all my adult life," he said.

Seventh-place winner Dortha Strack was the only female to try her hand in the event. Strack, who still lives on the family farm where she was born and raised, said it was the second time in some 45 years that she'd driven a team of horses. The first time was last year during the mule hitch competition.

"When I was a kid we never did have a tractor or anything," she said. "This doesn't take a whole lot of skill, really. I'd say it's pretty much luck."

Charlie Mangels served as announcer for the event, giving contestants some good-natured ribbing and delivering a jovial play-by-play broadcast of the event for a small gathering of onlookers.

He said the event, while small, marked an important piece of local history.

Said Mangels, "These are the people that made America. This was before diesel engines.".

MULE HITCH WINNERS

The following are the results from the Senior Horse/Mule Hitch Challenge. Each contestant received a certificate and a pair of tickets to the Oak Ridge Boys concert.

1. Bud Aylor

2. Kenny Siebert

3. Marvin Boxdorfer

4. Frances Renard

5. Claude Estes

6. James Hartman

7. Dortha Strack

8. Byron Lange