ASHLAND — On your mark, get set, go!
…Or, if you were a baby participating in the Diaper Derby at the Ashland County Fair Thursday, maybe just stay sitting in place.
Ashland’s youngest residents had the chance to show off their speed throughout the day Thursday at the fair’s annual Diaper Derby and Toddler Foot Race.
The pair of events offer a chance for youngsters under a year old all the way up to four years old to try their hand at racing to the finish line.
Parents sat or crouched at either end of the race throughout the day. They used snacks, stuffed animals and even a phone to try and entice the children to crawl or dash from the start to the finish line.
Ashland Main Street’s executive director, Sandra Tunnell, emceed the event.
“There’s some strategy to this … maybe,” Tunnell called out as parents got into their positions.
The rules
The Diaper Derby, held for children younger than one year old who aren’t walking, had three heats. The top contender from each heat competed in a final round. Each of the top three Diaper Derby contestants walked away with a cash prize.
First prize won $15, second place $10 and third place earned $5.
Kaitlyn Hanshaw, the mother of this year’s Diaper Derby champ, Oliver, said it marked the first time her son had won first place in anything.
“This is going in his piggy bank,” she said.
For the Toddler Foot Race, the children were divided by age. There were two heats of 1-year-olds, three heats of 2-year-olds, two heats of 3-year-olds and two heats of 4-year-olds.
Again, winners from the heats for each age group competed in a final round. The top two fastest children at each age level earned cash prizes. First place winners won $15, and second place champs earned $10.
Nobody who competed left empty-handed, though. Bouncy ball prizes were doled out for each participant.
The champs
The following children walked away with cash prizes for winning their races in the Diaper Derby and Toddler Foot Race.
Diaper Derby
First place: Oliver Hanshaw
Second place: Jovie James Wilson
Third place: Weston Cole
Toddler Foot Race: 1-year-olds
First place: Georgia Grant
Second place: Walker Lowe
Toddler Foot Race: 2-year-olds
First place: Hayden Stoner
Second place: Evelyn Wasson
Toddler Foot Race: 3-year-olds
First place: Hudson Farver
Second place: Kamdyn Thomas
Toddler Foot Race: 4-year-olds
First place: Li’Nyla Mathias
Second place: Lennox North
