Mules take spotlight at East Perry fair

[ Browse a gallery of photos from the fair ]

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- The sun was fading and commentator Charlie Mangels was encouraging them to pick up the pace a little, but the athletes were feeling a bit, well, mulish. One skittish contestant managed to get loose from his handler and make his way into the parking lot.

For the past 81 years, the village of Altenburg mows the grass and throws a party called the East Perry County Fair, an event filled with good food, neighborly welcomes, games and vendors.

In the past two decades, the highlight of the festival has become the jumping mule contest.

This year, Mangels took a moment to observe the passing of Skunk, a 46-inch mule who had become everybody's favorite underdog.

But a new contestant, young Possum, made his first appearance this year and the feisty little blond colt quickly endeared himself to the crowd.

Eilert Mahnken is credited with starting the competition around 1980, but the tale of how he got the idea just gets better and better.

Especially when that story is told by Mangels, who has been the voice of the competition since it began.

Saturday, he described how some ol' boys got together to go raccoon hunting, riding their mules in the dark because they're more sure-footed than horses. "Now remember, these are the same fellas who ride when they're hunting, then get up in the morning to go exercise in a gym," Mangels said.

Anyway, if hunters on muleback came across a fence, they'd have to either ride around the fence or go home -- until one fellow finally came up with the idea to get down and coax his mule to jump over.

Now when this actually happened, Mangels said, the fence was just a little bitty old thing, but by the time the jump was described to friends, that mule had leaped over a wall as tall as he was.

When his friends started in bragging as to how their mules could jump pretty high too, sooner or later somebody had to put their money where their mouth was. That's when the world championship jumping mule contest was born.

Somewhere in there is a grain of truth, but Mangels readily admits that everything he says isn't entirely accurate.

Saturday, thousands filled the grandstand and overflowed onto the hill to watch the mules jump or, in some cases, balk.

abuchanan@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160