Hjelm repeats as local champion

For the second year, Wesley Hjelm, 12, won the local fence painting contest, earning him a place in the national fence painting at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Warren Crim II took second place in the local contest, and Dalton Overstreet, third.
Additional contestants were Tanner Sublette, Dylan Yarbrough, Jackson Wagner, Alex Addison, Parker Williams and Kalin Morgan.
After winning last year, Wesley did not try to change his fence painting technique.
His winning method is based on speed, Wesley said. “I aim for speed.” He finished first in his first heat and the final heat. Some fence painters try to cover all the boards, and others try to be the first back to the finish line, such as Wesley.
To practice to home, he used water bucket on the garage door. This year he added a few things to his costume, which also is judged, including a dead snake, Wesley said, but “basically I had everything the judges needed.”
What advice would he give today’s fence painters in the state and “over 30” contests? “Just go down there as fast as you can and try your hardest.”
This year before beginning the first heat, a special heat was done by the retiring Tom Sawyer, Christian Locke, and the current Huck from a Huck Finn festival in California, Sam Ostgaard. Sam will also be in the Fourth of July parade today and will compete in the national contest on Saturday.
The state fence painting contest will begin at 5 p.m. today, after registration beginning at 4:30 p.m. Anyone from Missouri, ages 10 to 13, may compete.
This will be followed by the “over 30” contest. Registrations will take place prior to the contest.
Entrants are be judged on costume, including paraphernalia, speed and technique.
Holly Henderson, this year’s fence painting chairperson with the Jaycees, explained that a new contest, the “celebrity” fence painting, did not happen this year, because the people invited to participate - such as city employees and emergency personnel - were too busy helping to reinforce the flood levee and help anyone in need of assistance. She hopes to see this materialize next year.
For the state contest today she has boys from all over Missouri, Henderson said, “as far as Kansas City, which is awesome.” More may register today.
A smaller number of boys than usual have registered for the national fence painting, she said, probably because of the price of gas and because the national media has given people the idea downtown Hannibal is flooded instead of being protected by the flood levee.
By Thursday she had registrations from California, Texas, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. The local and state contest winners will represent Missouri.
She invited anyone ages 10 to 13 from other states who will be in Hannibal Saturday to, “come on down and paint a fence and have a chance to win a Savings Bond.”
She added that only two contestants from each state may compete, and they are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The top prize for the national champion is a $500 U.S. Savings Bond. The winner also receives a trophy and is awarded the “governor’s trophy” which is a traveling trophy to be displayed in his state capitol until the following Fourth of July. The next year the champion returns to help judge the contest.
Henderson expressed appreciation for the people who helped with the fence painting, including the fire department, Board of Public Works, and Dennis Oliver of Y101, who served as emcee.

Parade gets things going

Today’s events begin with the Fourth of July parade at 10 a.m. followed by the Tom and Becky contest at noon in Central Park. During the afternoon, events at Main and Broadway or South Main include a washers tournament at 12:30 p.m., Tom and Becky relay at 1 p.m., Mighty Miss Raft Race at 2 p.m., back seat driver at 3 p.m., and state fence painting at 5 p.m., followed by the over 30 fence painting. The fireworks will be at dusk.
The arts and crafts festival is continuing in Central Park. At Main and Broadway, vendors sell food and other items near Tanyard Gardens, where the band, Ultra Violets, will play from 8 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
As the Jaycees prepared for their many events scheduled today, a local leader, Beau Hicks, said the weather may help bring out a larger crowd today than on Thursday, when a light rain fell for several hours in the morning. Skies were clear before time for the fence painting.
Hicks, executive director of the Hannibal Convention & Visitors Bureau, said local hotel business “has picked up. We still have rooms, but it’s a lot better than a week ago. Four hotels have sold out for the weekend.”
Although the location of the fireworks has been changed from the usual location on the riverfront outside the flood wall to Lover’s Leap because of the flood, Hicks said this may prove advantageous, because they will be visible from a greater distance.