Vindy Fair reporter finds a lot to crow about

By KALEA HALL

khall@vindy.com

CANFIELD

Vindy at the Fair: Kalea Hall as the rooster mascot

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Reporter Kalea Hall dressed up as the rooster mascot and made her way down the midway to pose for pictures.

Vindy at the Fair: Vendors discuss the 171st Canfield Fair

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Vendors around the 171st Canfield Fair discuss their products and what they look forward to each year.

It’s not easy being a rooster.

That’s what I learned in my 25 minutes of fame as the mascot of the Canfield Fair.

The fair board of directors got a new rooster costume to show off this year, and I just had to take a shot at being the woman behind the rooster.

On Wednesday, fair officials made my wish come true.

To explain, Canfield Fair coverage has been a part of my duties as a reporter at The Vindicator for the past five years.

In these five years, I have learned a very important piece to this fair is the rooster. He represents the fair and everything it has come to mean to the generations of families who walk through these gates every year.

That’s a big responsibility, and for a short time I wanted to own that responsibility.

I also wanted to experience life inside the costume.

Who doesn’t want to make people smile and laugh?

That’s why my teacher, the rooster himself, Devin Ritchie of Mineral Ridge, said he would be the rooster this year.

The 19-year-old Junior Fair member who shows hogs is naturally outgoing. He likes to run and dance around in the rooster costume to get the most reaction from his fans.

“All the little kids are so happy,” he said.

Ritchie gave me a few pointers before I went out in costume.

“Pick up your knees when you walk,” he said.

It does feel like you are getting knocked around, he said, but you won’t tip over.

Sounds promising.

The inflatable rooster costume stands very tall – about 12 feet – so it had to be put on outside.

First, I put on the battery pack over my shoulders and snapped it into place around my waist. Coming out of that battery pack is a long hose. For a second, I felt like a Ghostbuster, but then came the real task: Getting into this costume.

Ritchie explained I needed to put my feet in place a certain way and then use a fabric fastener to strap them tightly in place.

This must be how clowns feel in those silly shoes.

Within seconds, I was the rooster and the center of attention. My head was cocked up, crowing away and I was showing off.

I did what I now call the rooster shuffle around the fairgrounds for what felt like forever. This costume is hot and not easy to walk in.

Just keep shuffling.

The reactions were priceless despite my fatigue shortly into my guest role as the rooster. Everyone wanted a picture, a high-five and a cock-a-doodle-do.

I didn’t get down the dancing and running around in the costume, but I did get down connecting with the fairgoers.

I was really giving fairgoers something to crow – or laugh hysterically – about.

My time as the rooster reminded me of the fair’s purpose: to serve up family fun whether that be in concert form, food, or having a giant, goofy-looking rooster walk around the fairgrounds for smiles.

Check out the rooster and all his glory at the fair’s opening ceremonies beginning at 9:30 a.m. today at the Concourse Stage; at the Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley Youth Day on the Concourse at 11:30 a.m. today; at the Harness Races in the Grandstand at 11 a.m. Friday; or at the Junior Fair Auction at 5:30 p.m. Friday inside Coliseum No. 8.