Playing chicken

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- How is it possible that a rabbit took third place in a contest for "dressed" poultry at the East Perry Community Fair?

Apparently the rules are pretty loose. If it has feathers, it's poultry. The rabbit wore feathers on its tutu. Since it was entered as "Ballerina Bunny," possibly Shelby Procter of Fremont, Mo. -- who entered the bunny she said could do ballerina moves -- figured it was "poultry in motion."

It's all in good fun. Alisa Schumer of Perryville, Mo., who works in the poultry division of the fair, said the fair board stumbled across the contest by accident about five years ago. It was getting hard to lure people into the poultry shed to look at chickens, so someone put clothes on one and put it in a cage. It attracted enough people to inspire the fair board to make it an annual event.

The event became so popular that it outgrew the poultry shed.

"We came out here on the stage and we've been here ever since," Schumer said.

Every now and then, someone will sneak in something fowl -- um -- foul. A couple of years ago, Schumer said, someone put feathers on a pig and entered it. This year, the Red Hat Society of Uniontown, Mo., dressed up a miniature donkey with -- what else? -- a red hat, a red feather boa and boxer shorts and tried to call that poultry in a surprise last-minute entry.

The entry won a blue ribbon for being in a class of its own.

Other winners were Rebecca Kasten of Uniontown, who took first place with Ruby the duck, a beauty contest winner. Ruby came with her own feathers, but added a curly wig, a necklace and a leopard-print dress that showed off an "augmented" bustline.

Kacey Ertzfeld and Reine Yamnitz of Perryville entered as a team with "Chicken Pot Pie," two chickens sitting in pie pans, covered with "pie crust." The girls wore chef's toques, carried kitchen utensils and each wore an oven mitt. Schumer noted that all the contestants are 4-H members and commended the two for remembering safety by wearing oven mitts.

Bridget Schumer placed with her "Chickadee Baby," a brown hen wearing a bib.

Alisa Schumer, who is Bridget's mom, said that each year she approaches a member of the audience to be the judge.

"They don't know any of the kids, and it's all fair," Schumer said.

Besides, everybody goes away with a prize of some kind. That's what it's all about -- having fun at the fair.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160