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4-H’ers test ag knowledge

Teams compete for cash at Pocahontas Co. Fair

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari Kacie Cox, 18, left, of Marathon, takes notes during the corn quiz bowl at the Pocahontas County Fair as Andrea Bennett, 18, of Pocahontas, looks on. Both are members of the Guys and Gals of Grant 4-H club.

POCAHONTAS — The heat was on Sunday at the Pocahontas County Fair, but it wasn’t just because of the high temperatures outside.

Inside the Expo Building at the Pocahontas County Fairgrounds, three teams of 4-H’ers were competing against each other in the Corn Quiz Bowl for cash prizes.

Each team had five members.

Participating teams were the Central Pioneers, Guys and Gals of Grant, and the Bellville Bells and Boosters.

Brian Peterson was the emcee and read all the questions to the 4-H’ers.

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari Makayla Paulsen, 12, of Havelock, a member of the Central Pioneers 4-H club, grooms her pig, who she calls Porky, during the Pocahontas County Fair Sunday.

“It’s a tool to educate about the importance of agriculture,” Peterson said about the quiz bowl.

Each person on the team had a button that they hit when they thought they knew the answer to a question. The first round was multiple choice questions, while the second round was free response.

Peterson said the winning team gets $500. Second and third place each get $300.

Competitors seemed to get into the game, with some yelling answers out before their team was called and others hitting the button without even knowing an answer.

If a team failed to answer, they were unable to answer again.

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari Darwin Svuba, left, president of the Pocahontas County Fair Board, and his wife, Jerlynn Svuba, both of Laurens, prepare turkey tenderloins for the Pocahontas County Fair Sunday.

Questions included which countries are the United States’ biggest competitors in agriculture imports and exports, what animal species belonged in a certain group, and what different acronyms meant.

Although the competition could get intense, Lindsey Hubbell, 17, of Pocahontas, who was on the Central Pioneers’ team, said it was all in good fun.

“It was really fun, friendly competition,” Hubbell said. “It’s not like everyone hated each other. We tried to answer as fast as we could.”

Hubbell, who was also crowned Pocahontas County fair queen this year, said this was her first time participating in the Corn Quiz Bowl. She said she would love to do it again if she had the opportunity.

Her teammate, Carter Schachtner Kramer, 15, of Fonda, said this was his second year participating.

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari Joel Metzger, 13, of Palmer, a member of the Bellville Bells and Boosters 4-H club, is all ready to hit the buzzer during the corn quiz bowl at the Pocahontas County Fair Sunday.

He said it was noticeably more difficult this time around.

“Last year was a lot simpler,” he said. “The questions were more animal-based.”

The questions this year were in a wider variety of categories, he said.

Other events at the Pocahontas County Fair Sunday included the Fair Olympics, turkey tenderloins served by the fair board, and closing ceremonies.

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