Cricket-Spitting Contests Catching On Fast

Cricket-Spitting Contests Catching On Fast AG WORLD 33-6-21 Jessica Klumpp has been surprised how many people sign up for the Cricket Spitting contest she started three years ago at the Florence County Fair in Wisconsin. "It's a really low cost event for us that provides a lot of fun," Klumpp says, noting that interest has grown every year. "The first year we had 30 participants. This year we had 60. For us that seems pretty good," Klumpp explains. The contest is simple. Cricket-spitting competitors are divided into three age groups. Each spitter selects a frozen cricket from a silver platter, places it on their tongue and uses their best spitting technique. There are only three rules. The first is reasonable: Keep your feet in the circle. But the other two rules make you question who would want to break them. "You can only keep it in your mouth for 10 seconds," Klumpp says. "And it can't be chewed up. The cricket has to be intact when it hits the ground." This year a father and daughter won gold medals in two of the categories. Shane McLain broke his old record by propelling his frozen cricket 28 ft., 10 in. That's pretty amazing, Klumpp says, since crickets are so lightweight. Klumpp receives requests for information from other fair coordinators and has put a list together on where to get medals and crickets (donated from a pet store) and how to organize the contest. She's willing to share information with anyone interested in starting a similar contest. And in case you're wondering, yes, Klumpp has taken her turn in the spitting circle. "When I took my cricket this year, the leg fell off," she says. "I was a little grossed out." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Florence County Fair, P.O. Box 704, Florence, Wis. 54121 (ph 715 528-4773; www.florencecountyfair.com).

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