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10-year-old Ellen Flora, of Aiken, chows down in the hot dog eating contest at the Triple Crown Street Fair. WCHZ-FM sponsored the contest, which awarded a $75 cash prize to the winner of each age division.
RON COCKERILLE/STAFF |
AIKEN - At Friday's Triple Crown Street Fair, which kicks off three whirlwind weekends of horse racing in Aiken, the only horse was on a stick.
"Free stick ponies," the sign read. It drew a crowd.
"We figured because of the horse races it would be something that would go along with it," said Mike Minehart, the manager of the Lowe's home improvement store in Aiken.
The line grew as Mr. Minehart and 10 employees used rubber bands and hot glue guns to create the ponies made of socks, cotton batting and a yardstick.
Amy Hayden, 5, stood in line, ready to make her own stick pony. Other children ran around the tiered fountain adorning the middle of Newberry Street festival center pretending to canter.
Amy's mother, Teresa, called the street fair a children's event.
"It's pretty cool, and the kids are enjoying it," she said.
While the Velcro wall of the "Thrill Zone" and the fire juggler on a unicycle were indeed geared toward the children, the Honda motorcycles lining Newberry Street were there for a different reason.
"We're getting out to show people that bikes are nice and we're good people," said Lynette Snell, 63. She and her husband, Gene, 63, are both members of Aiken's Gold Wing Road Riders Association, called Triple Crown Wings.
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Jessie Curry (left), 6, and Caroline Burrell, 7, both of Aiken, pick a free stick pony from the Lowe's table.
RON COCKERILLE/STAFF |
The Aiken chapter picked up the name, Mrs. Snell said, because "Aiken is horses."
The Snells, of North Augusta, pull a fold-up king-size bed behind one of their motorcycles. "It only takes 10 minutes to set up," Mr. Snell said. "We're super senior citizens."
As music from the bands poured out of The Alley, WCHZ-FM began its "top of the line and cooked" hot dog eating contest. First up were children younger than 14.
Ellen Flora, 10, of Aiken, shoveled hot dogs in her mouth to try to win the $75 cash prize.
Reach Carly Phillips at (803) 648-1395 or carly.phillips@augustachronicle.com.
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