By RFD Radio/WFMB
SPRINGFIELD – A tradition unlike any other. It’s a far cry from the stateliness of the Masters – it’s the Illinois State Fair Husband and Hog calling contest.
First-time entrant Andrew Metheny of Georgetown is an 18-year-old farmer. He said he needed a little nudging to get in the contest he’d never heard of.
“I was sitting in my high school consumers class and my teacher said I’ve heard you make that noise more than I’ve heard you talk,” Metheny said. “I thought why not give it a try.”
The husband calling contest winner was Kelley Tierney of Cornland. She did a silent call that supposedly only her husband Bob could hear, but instead could be heard by all Bobs in the vicinity.
“I thought it would be fun to say I had been practicing a new technique because our neighbors are getting upset with us for yelling so much,” Tierney joked. “Got this high decibel that only my husband Bob could hear, but apparently it didn’t work out because I had like eight or nine Bobs run up on stage. I’m going to have to explain that to my husband tonight I guess.”
Tierney is an old pro, winning eight of the last 10.
