Wyatt Miller, 7, right, of West Sunbury, keeps an eye on the competitors at the watermelon eating contest at the Butler Farm Show on Monday night. Blaze LeFevre, 7, center, and Barrett Ashcroft, 5, Butler, do their best to keep up with Miller. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle

BUTLER TWP — A hush fell over the crowd as contestants sunk their teeth into juicy slices of watermelon Monday night at the Butler Farm Show.

The second annual Watermelon Eating Contest put on by the Junior Farm Show Board had 30 competitors vying for a T-shirt prize.

Bleachers filled with passersby eager to watch children and adults eat the most fruit they could in a 90-second span.

Ken Metrick, supervisor of the Junior Board, said the event was started to hearken to the older activities of the Farm Show.

“We used to have family games, pie-eating contests, tobacco-spitting contests,” he said. “We thought we’d go back and repeat some of them, and people seem to like it.”

A portion of this story is shared with you as a digital media exclusive. To read the full story and support our local, independent newsroom, please subscribe at butlereagle.com.