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81 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, July 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 27, 2004 Linda Kolano, a reluctant entrant in the Rogue River Rooster Crow human contest, nevertheless took the championship Saturday during the 51st annual festival. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman New crowns at the Rooster Crow By GREG STILES Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — It was a bad day for champions at the 51st annual Rooster Crow competition Saturday as both reigning human and fowl crowers were displaced by newcomers possessing more strut. Linda Kolano of Central Point, egged on by members of her Piecemakers Quilting Club, out-crowed two-time winner Debbie Farmer-George of Vista, Calif., to walk away with the top prize in her debut performance. Trigger, a white fryer from Gold Hill, belted out 42 cock-a-doodle-dos to claim the title of National Rooster Crow Champion while last year’s winner, Stew Me Wright, sat disinterestedly in his cage. Kolano, a reluctant crower, expected to spend the afternoon in her club’s booth at the event, but when she arrived her replacement was already on the job. Without an excuse, Kolano lined up along with about two dozen other hopeful crowers. After two preliminary rounds, the former Tucson, Ariz., resident hit her crow like an opera diva, while Farmer-George showed signs of fatigue from belting out 20 crows during the morning parade. Kolano revealed her talent to friends Tom and Fran Nuelle of Gold Hill a couple of years ago, and ever since they’ve been trying to persuade her to spread her wings. Advertisement "I was listening to all of the others and wondering why I was here," Kolano said. "I listened to the other crows, but I thought it wasn’t a good idea to change what I do now." As a result, she will square off against Farmer-George in 2005. "I’ll keep coming back," Farmer-George vowed. Birds and owners, who came from Oregon and California, found the mid-80s temperatures far more favorable than last year’s 106 degrees. Trigger barely outlasted Pioneer Debra of Wimer, who spewed out four crows in the final minutes to close to within one crow of Trigger. Lucky Redd was third with 40 crows in what proved to be one of the closest finishes in Rooster Crow history. Licorice (39) and Almighty Crower (32) rounded out the top five. Although Trigger was nowhere near record-holder White Lightning’s 112 crows in 1978, he got off to a fast start and was in command after 10 minutes. Trigger’s owners, Gary and Claudia Wilbur of Gold Hill, collected first-place prize money of $150 after he bested 31 other entrants that ranged from banties to black giants. While other owners waved, swatted, flagged, petted, moped and sighed resignedly as their birds either ate grain or eyed other fowl with intimidating glares, the Wilburs contentedly counted away before Trigger eased up. "He started relaxing," said Gary Wilbur. "I guess he had enough." The winner shares his field with 22 other roosters back home. His owners identify him by a shaved spur. "He’ll get better next year," Gary Wilbur said. Runner-up Pioneer Debra, named for owner Bruce Herzberg’s favorite bartender at the Pioneer Club in Central Point, was a fast finisher, but the Wimer rooster’s future is in doubt. "He’s kind of getting old," Herzberg said. "We’ll see how he does." Will Lieb of Novato, Calif., has been coming to the event for nearly a decade but didn’t bring a bird last year, when Newcastle disease forced 3 million California chickens to be exterminated. "I didn’t want to take the chance of it spreading up here," said Lieb, whose Black Bart wasn’t among the top finishers. "It looks like I have a couch potato here." But even the quietest of birds had a better fate than Kira Taylor’s Speckles, who didn’t survive an untimely encounter with a skunk of Friday. Taylor entered Road Runner instead, but the last-minute sub showed little spunk. Today’s schedule The Rooster Crow festival continues today in Rogue River: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. � Rooster Crow Car Show at the Rogue River Elementary School grounds. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. � Concessions and arts and crafts booths at the elementary school grounds. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. � Piecemakers Quilt Show, Rogue River Middle School auditorium. 2 to 5 p.m. � Rogue River Accordion Club Jam, Rogue River Community Center Annex. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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