2005
2005 Rock Skipping Contest Bigger Than Last Year’s
In spite of a drizzly start to the afternoon of the Second Annual Orne’s Candy Store International Rock Skipping Contest, more people showed up for this early summer attraction. The event sponsored by OCS had more rock-skippers and more rock-skipping enthusiasts on the sidelines than last year. As a matter of fact, everything doubled: the number of people skipping, the number of spectators…and the amount of money that was raised for this year’s local charity, the Boothbay Region Food Pantry.
The numbers of skippers were: 9 girls; 22 boys; 15 women; and 43 men for a total of 89. Many were returnees from last year, but all the winners were first-time participants. According to our calculations – and those of our unofficial counter (who prefers to remain unnamed), there seemed to be more than 200 people in attendance down on the parking lot and on the Footbridge at the end of the harbor in Boothbay Harbor. All stayed to cheer for the players, as well as the winners.
In all, the event raised $350, which was donated to the food pantry.
The winners were: for the girls – Hayley “Little Rocks” Pearson with 7 skips; for the boys – Zach “Skippinator” Slayton with 14 skips; for the women – Barb “Fabulous Fossil” Audin with 17 skips; and for the men – John “Moxie Monster” Stimson with 20 skips.
Zach “Skippinator” Slayton, Hayley “Little Rocks” Pearson, John “Moxie Monster” Stimson, Barb “Fabulous Fossil” Audin
Although this was only our second contest, traditions set up in 2004 were repeated this year: the winners received a pound of Orne’s Candy Store’s Rocky Road Fudge, a beautifully crafted wood and stone trophy (made by Arthur Webster and Faith Foster), and a poster showing a wood-cut of a rock skipper donated by local artist Phillippe Villard. All contestants (and their little brothers and sisters, and sometimes their grandparents) were given rock candy on a stick. And the tradition of a fun afternoon for participants and spectators, as well as the organizers from Orne’s Candy Store crew – John and Jean Webster, Faith Foster and Arthur Webster – was continued.
Next year’s Rock-Skipping Contest is already on the calendar for the first Saturday after the Fourth of July.
