BC Fair ends with a crash

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- After all the livestock were judged, after all the trees were carved into statues, after most of the cheese curds and corn dogs were consumed, the faithful at the Brown County Fair gathered under the lights of the grandstand to witness the fair's last hurrah.

One might say the Brown County Fair went out with a loud roar, a huge column of smoke and the foul stink of burning rubber.

Earlier in the day, 4-H briefed 64 of its champions on the do's and don'ts of the Minnesota State Fair, which ends on Labor Day weekend. 4-H Educator Andrea Ruesch said she has good feelings about Brown County's contestants.

"This is my first official summer with Brown County," she said Saturday afternoon. "And I am so impressed. We've got quality kids doing quality things and they're having fun."

The fair's organizers said they were satisfied with the turnout for this year's fair. Brown County Fair Board President Dan Kotten said he was pleased to see Saturday night's crowd gathering around the grandstand for the fair's big final hurrah -- the demolition derby.

Since it began over 30 years ago, the demolition derby has consistently brought the fair its largest crowds. The evidence was plentiful Saturday night as many more fairgoers turned up for the last show of this year's fair.

Saturday night's Derby was one that organizers say will be one for the record books because of the number of car fires that happened and the amount of nasty hits the drivers put on each other.

The bleachers in the grandstand were packed and many more spectators lined up along the concrete berms on the "mud section" -- the part opposite the arena, which typically gets hit with flying dirt whenever a driver spins a car's wheels fast enough.

The demo derbies at the Brown County Fair had six heats--three for the regular, heavier cars, one for subcompacts, a free-for-all and then, the competition. Wednesday's version had a competition for trucks.

The overall champion was Todd Thedens. Pat Klinkner took second place, Jeremy Marquardt was the third place winner, Scott Shyd won fourth place and Denny Johnson was the fifth place winner.

Saturday night had about six vehicle fires, all of which were put out promptly by the firefighters that stood on the other side of the berms from the derby.

The most serious incident happened during the subcompact derby, when a car driven by Matthew Foss of New Ulm erupted, sending a huge blast of fire into the driver's compartment. Firefighters removed Foss from his car and helped him out of the arena to an ambulance, where two paramedics treated a first-degree burn on Foss's lower right leg.

When he was asked if he'd ever race again, Foss said, "I think next time I might get flame-retardant clothes."

(Results of the Demolition Derby will be published in Monday's Journal)