Kaitlyn Potts, right, was the Champion Milker in the Dairy Festival Milking Contest, on Saturday afternoon,
beneath the shade trees, near the Civic Center. Cecily Adams won second place, and Haley Reynolds,
center, won third place.

 

Kaitlyn Potts Wins Milking Contest

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

There were some "crying over spilled milk," and a few candidates that would have liked to have "cussed" their particular cow, but when all the "dust" settled, it was Kaitlyn Potts, daughter of Doyle and Kim Potts, that walked away with the crown in the 2008 Dairy Festival Milking Contest!

 

Dairy Festival Queen, Sarah Yosten, shows everyone just how you
should milk a cow, before the contest started, but did manage to allow
that really she hadn't milked a cows since last year's contest!!!

And, her parents looked really relieved that they didn't  have
to milk in the contest, this year!!!

 

Cecily Adams was awarded the second prize trophy and Haley Reynolds walked away with the third prize for her efforts at "aiming for the bucket!"

"It's harder to get milk in that bucket than you might think!" exclaimed Chesley McGlammery, as she attempted to complete her milking. "I've been reared around cows all of my life, and really wasn't scared of the cow, but it's hard to get it all going at once! Maybe I just wasn't coordinated enough or me and the cow were on different pages!"

 

Dairy Festival Candidates get instructions before the competition.

And, Kaitlyn Potts pauses before making her Championship Milking.

 

When asked about her skills in winning the contest, Kaitlyn allowed, "Well, my grandparents owned a dairy farm and my uncle still owns one, so I went out and practiced a little bit, so that I'd know what to do. Then, really I think it is a whole lot of luck!"

 

 

Following the completion of the candidates milking contest, it was time for the parents, who had been offering their daughters advice, to come into the ring and show what they were made of! And, it was Alan and Mary Lutz, parents of Morgan Lutz, that managed to best all of the other parents, in the contest. "We knew a little bit about what we were doing," exclaimed Alan Lutz, as he delivered his pail to the judges. "It was fun, but harder than one might think, to coax milk by hand from a cow. I think it may be a dying art, in the world today!"

 

Alan and Mary Lutz, right, parents of Morgan Lutz, were proclaimed the winner in the Parent's
Milking Contest, Kim Moore and David McGlammery, center, were second place winners and
Shane and Wendy Russom, were the third place winners.

 

David McGlammery and Kim Moore, parents of Chesley McGlammery, were awarded the second prize in the parents milking contest, and they had at one time owned a dairy farm, thus they knew the procedures and techniques. Then, it was Shane and Wendy Russom, parents of Morgan Russom, that walked away with the third prize in the parent contest.

And, "who would have thunk it!".......Rickey and Maletta Reynolds milking a cow!!!

"Maletta, is this where it comes from?"

 

The next item on the schedule was a real rodeo! The Balloon Pilot's Milking Contest. The contest was started seven years ago and has developed into a very competitive and fun competition. "Folks back in Houston need pictures of this," exclaimed Susan Young, Crew Chief for the Zoopendous Too balloon. "They'll never believe we were milking a cow!"

 

Balloon pilot, Lance Terry, shows his son, Mikey, how to milk a cow
before the contest got started!!!

 

Cheering from other balloon owners and a large amount of joking from the sides, were the norm during the contest, where you had veteran milkers competing against the novices.  Then, the judges proclaimed that the "milking stools" that a couple of the candidates brought into the ring, were not allowed!

 

And, Balloon Miester, Sharonda Greenwood, attempts to fill her bucket!!!!

 

When the _ _ _ _ was finished flying, it was balloon owners Gregg Shirley and Mike Moore, that was named the winners. Owner Mike Moore, allowed that he had grown up milking the family cow, so he had possibly a little bit of an advantage. Second place was Mark Ibbotson.

 

Winners in the Balloonist Milking Contest included Gregg Shirley and Mike Moore, Mark Ibbotson,
and Joe Paddie.

 

The third prize trophy required a "Squirt-Off" between Joe Paddie and Austin and Susan Young. Paddie managed to "squeeze" a couple of more ounces in the buckets, and was awarded the third prize!

 

Austin and Susan Young, Balloon Pilots from Houston, were forced into a "squirt-off" for the third
prize trophy, losing by only ounces!!!!

 

"I'm going to go home and practice before next year," allowed one balloonist. "But, I'm going to worry about that later, as I'm headed to the Ice Cream Contest and 'taste' the fruits of my labor!''

 

 

Thanks to Carolyn McKinney and Jerry and Peggy Gibby for Chairing the 2008 Milking Contest Committee and to Don Smith for serving as the M.C. of the event. Cows for this year's milking contest were provided by Koon Jersey Farm and the Southwest Dairy Museum.

 

Sheila and Koyt Koon were among those dairy farmers that furnished cows for this year's milking contest.
"I guess we've furnished cows for the milking contest since it's inception, almost 25 years ago," allowed
Sheila Koon. "I was on the board and the milking contest began on the downtown square!"

 

Pine Forest Dairy Farmers, T.J. and Bert Tuinier were the
official judges for Saturday's contest!!!!

 

T.J. and Bert Tuinier, dairy farmers from the Pine Forest Community, had the "challenge" of serving as judges for the contest and did a wonderful job of weighing all of the milk and proclaiming the winners!

"It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it!"  Dairy Festival Board President Patricia
Chase and Board Member Lonnie Fox, got the _ _ _ _ _ _ job!

 

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