JEFFERSON —
The poultry barn at the Ashtabula County Fair is noisy in the morning: Rooster crow.
On Thursday, five roosters were in cages in the Bob Barnard Entertainment Center for the fair’s annual rooster crowing contest. On the inside of the building, the crow-coaxers and outside, the crow-counters.
Everett Helfer, Fair Board member and master of ceremonies, introduced a sixth entry: a stuffed decorative rooster “in memory of Little Jerry Seinfeld, a past winner of the rooster-crowing contest, who died this past year,” he said. Helfer placed “Little Jerry” at the end of the table, next to 13-year-old J.D. Tuttle’s roosters, Bob and Tom.
The real Little Jerry, owned by my family, went to the big chicken coop in the sky.
Then the contest began, and for 30 minutes, the roosters’ owners tapped, poked, whistled and blew, trying to get the roosters to cock-a-doodle-doo. Alas, there was no boasting, just conversation, among the roosters.
“I know what’s wrong; it’s the heat,” Helfer said halfway through the contest. “You feed them too good, and they get a little sleepy.”
Finally, when a rooster named Rudy, owned by Stacey Lute, 15, of Kingsville, made a little clucking sound, there was celebration. Arms thrown in the air, a whispered, “Yes!” and a tally mark given for a cluck.
Simeon Ruple, 13, of Orwell, encouraged his little red rooster, Herbert, to crow by waving towels in front of the bird. Herbert clucked but uttered no good old-fashioned crow.
The crowd grew restless.
Inside two pet carriers, Tuttle’s roosters didn’t make a peep, same as “Little Jerry.” In fact, technically all of the roosters tied with “Little Jerry” when it came to official cock-a-doodle-doos.
When the one-minute warning sounded, everyone got excited and hoped one rooster would crow. It just didn’t happen.
In a race between clucks, Simeon’s rooster took first prize and $5.
Helfer then declared, “Everyone wins money,” and all the children went home happy with at least 50 cents in their pockets.
Rest in peace, Little Jerry.
Local News
Related Photos
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BILL WEST / Star Beacon SIMEON RUPLE, 13, of Orwell encourages his rooster, Herbert, to find something to crow about Thursday at the Ashtabula County Fair in Jefferson.
Discussion
Oh no! No rooster crow!
Little Jerry does as well as most, and he’s dead
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