Prank Leads To Wild Rumors At Fairgrounds

BY TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer

A prankster glued a couple of quarters to the blacktop on the south side of the Home and Family Arts Building Thursday at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds.

A young woman spied the 50 cents and reached down to claim the quarters as her own.

The glue was still wet so she went into the Home and Family Arts Building to wash the substance off. A chemical reaction with the water caused blisters on her fingers.

That’s when the panic started, according to Fair Board President Randy Shepherd.

An ambulance was dispatched.

Since no one really knew what was on the coins, the emergency medical technician called the county’s emergency response team. Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrived at the scene.

“The area beside the Good News Caboose was quarantined, the ambulance was quarantined, a decontamination area was set up at the hospital and soon word got out that the fairgrounds was closed,” Shepherd said.

“It was a fiasco and it just kept growing. Everyone is OK. The young woman was dismissed from the hospital. The fairgrounds never closed and events will go on as usual.”

This week’s rainfall has caused one event to be rescheduled. The garden tractor pull scheduled for Thursday evening was switched to Sunday at 1 p.m. because the track was too wet.

Events for the remainder of the fair are:

Today

Sponsorship & Media Day

Community Antique Tractor & Machinery Show

4-H Livestock Auction, 11 a.m., Show Arena

Rides Open 1 p.m. Midway; $12 POP Wristband until 6 p.m. (Regular ticket prices after 6 p.m.)

Local Bands, 6 p.m., Activity Tent

Un-Finished Business, 7 p.m., Activity Tent

Sale of Champions, 7 p.m., Show Arena

Truck Pulls – Paid Admission, 7 p.m., Grandstand

Saturday, July 22

Trucker’s Day

Live Entertainment by Nashville Recording Artist Joey Holiday

Community Antique Tractor & Machinery Show

Show & Shine Registration 7 a.m. to noon, Grandstand

Indiana State Arm-Wrestling, 1 p.m., Activity Tent

Rides Open 1 p.m. Midway; $12 POP Wristband until 6 p.m - $12 (Regular prices after 6 p.m. )

Parade of Lights, 7 p.m., Grandstand

NTPA Super Semi Nationals-Paid Admission, 7:30 p.m., Grandstand

Sunday, July 23

Garden Tractor Pulls – Free Admission, 1 p.m., Grandstand

4-H General Projects Checked Out, noon – 2 p.m. in the Home and Family Arts & Shrine Buildings

Monday, July 24

4-H & General Projects Check Out, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Shrine Building