Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER - Between Manchester's downtown buildings, country and western music echoed. The words were indistinguishable. Vendors lined the streets with their crafts.
North Manchester's annual Harvest Festival was held on Saturday, a brisk and breezy morning.
The festival started with a pancake and sausage breakfast sponsored by the United Methodist Church youth group. The youth group buzzed from table to table as waiters.
Amanda Callicoat, a sophomore at Manchester High, set down a cup of black coffee and orange juice. She said the money raised from breakfast would go for the youth group's mission trips. Then she was gone to the next customer.
The farmer's market offered wood crafts like wishing wells and windmills. Vendors sold wind chimes and birdhouses. Santa Claus was even there, embroidered on a pillow.
Antique tractors lined Main Street. Children were given a chance to pet goats and sheep, a pony and two piglets at the petting zoo.
Jeffery Garrett, superintendent of Manchester's Chamber of Commerce, announced the cow milking contest. Three insurance companies were represented in the competition.
In a minute's time, Paul Sites of Sites Insurance, Manchester, won the contest, squeezing out twice as much milk as the others. He said later he grew up on a farm. Other competitors confessed to practicing beforehand.
An 870-pound pig sat in a trailer as passersby offered guesses at his weight. Brady Pyrah, 5, from North Manchester, after seeing the swine, said, "I think it could be a thousand (pounds). It's big." His eyes were big, and his guess wasn't that far off.
Ann Gillespie, Wabash, won the guessing contest, guessing 875 pounds. In the scarecrow decorating contest, Dianna Ferguson won first place and Fran Gillespie was given second place.
