Siphon setting contest at the Grant County Fair

MOSES LAKE - The "World Championship" siphon setting contest at the Grant County Fair attracted newbies and experienced competitors over the weekend. The event also continued to be a family tradition among some contestants. 

In farming, a siphon tube can be used to lift water from a canal and into the field. While the technique is not as commonly used today, some farms still irrigate using the siphon method.

The fair event, held Saturday, brings experienced siphon-setters, as well as first timers who learn the day of the competition. The competition has a men's and women's bracket, each with five separate age groups. The contestants are competing for the fastest siphon setting time. If the water stops running through the siphon, five seconds are added to the competitor's overall time as a penalty. More tubes are added with the older age brackets.

Stacie and Craig Palmer, of Moses Lake, host the event. Stacie said they had a great turn out this year, and Craig added this was one of the biggest groups of competitors they've had.

Rebecca Lutz, 16, of Royal City has been competing since she was about 5. The first year she took home third, but has placed first every year since.

"I do this everyday," Lutz said. She sets hundreds of siphons daily on her family's farm. "You would never go that fast when you're working though. It would be way too tiring," she commented.

"It's fun to get to see everyone. A lot of the same people come year after year," Stacie said. 

Prizes for the top three times in each age group receive a T-shirt and cash. The people who used to organize it gave away ribbons, but organizers wanted to up the ante, Stacie said.