Dress your dog; prepare to gorge

There will be plenty of chances to participate in the fair, from a Mardi Gras parade led by costumed dogs and owners to a sundae eating contest.

By JOY DAVIS-PLATT, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 17, 2003

BROOKSVILLE -- For those who see the Hernando County Fair and Youth Livestock Show as a chance to get their hands dirty, this year's lineup has an array of participation events, from pie-eating contests to cow milking.

Kiddie Land, an area designed especially for children, will include rides, a cow-milking simulation that gives real milk, and a barn filled with baby animals -- calves, goats, chicks, rabbits and lambs.

"Kids even get a chance to find out where eggs come from," said Deb Pedone, president of the Hernando County Fair Association. 'We really tried to do something special for children this year."

Fairgoers are invited to bring their dogs to help lead the Mardi Gras parade at 7 p.m. April 24.

Costumed canines and their owners (costumes optional) are encouraged to help lead the procession dressed in anything from leather to evening wear. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes.

Most everyone indulges in food when they go to a fair, but for anyone who is particularly fond of pie, corn dogs or funnel cake, this year's fair might pay off in a big way.

Several contests are scheduled over the course of the fair's 11 days, including an ice cream sundae-eating contest for children 12 and younger.

The fun gets under way this evening with a celebrity team milk-off at 7 p.m. at the livestock barn.

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