Irie Mock holds up her watermelon rinds after winning first place in the Watermelon Eating Competition at the Clark County Fair in Ridgefield Aug. 3.
Xavier Quinonez won second place in the Watermelon Eating Competition at the Clark County Fair in Ridgefield Aug. 3.
Irie Mock quickly eats her watermelon during the Watermelon Eating Competition at the Clark County Fair in Ridgefield Aug. 3.
Since the first Clark County Fair in 1868, fairgoers have dodged seeds and raced to the rinds of watermelons in the Watermelon Eating Contest. This year, 13 competitors attempted to eat their way through half of a watermelon without using their hands for a chance at a $100 AMC Gift Card. Irie Mock, a 17-year-old from Salmon Creek and past champion, threw her sweet-tooth back in the ring after taking a year off.
“I was working last year so I couldn’t do it,” Mock said, explaining how people that work at the fair are barred from entering any of its competitions.
Mock has competed in the Watermelon Eating contest since she was 13 and has won it a total of three times, including this year, redeeming her two year loss streak against Sergio Hernandez of Vancouver.
Hernandez first tried his teeth at competing in the contest a few years ago after sitting down near The Columbian stage to grab some shade while eating his lunch. His girlfriend convinced him to shoot his shot at the contest and Hernandez came in second his first year of competing. This year, Hernandez finished third after a tough competition from Irie Mock and Xavier Quinonez.
Mock finished her half-watermelon in 4 minutes and 7 seconds and said it felt “so great” to come back and redeem her title of Watermelon Champ. She celebrated the win by going on the slingshot.
Other food contests at Columbian Stage:
Saturday, Aug. 10 - Cheeseburger Eating Contest at 1 p.m. (signups at 12:30)
Teams of four chow down on cheeseburgers on stage. The first team to eat 10 cheeseburgers is declared the winner.
Sunday, Aug. 11 - Pie eating contest 1:30 p.m. (registration at 1 p.m.)
Single contestants compete against each other for pie eating champion. The first person to eat an entire pie without using their hands is the winner.
