The state of Illinois has a new champion rooster. He is a large black and brown Araucana called Hawkeye, and he is owned by John Lynch, 12, of Mount Pulaski, Ill. After a lot of urging and grimacing, John last week persuaded Hawkeye to crow 69 times within a half-hour, 26 times more than his nearest rival at the state fair in Springfield. In Georgia, meanwhile, they are still talking about the new tobacco-spitting champion, Mrs. Marie Davidek by name. "You wouldn't believe it," said Bob Anderson, manager of the 25th annual Georgia Mountain Fair. "Here was this nice little old lady from Flint, Mich., all dressed up like a grandmother from the garden-club set. She'd never chewed any tobacco in all her born days, and she winds up and wins by spitting 9½ ft. Whooee, it was really something!"
Off Duty. It was that time of year again—state-fair time, vacation time, take-it-easy and picnic time. Official Washington was practically closed down and, in the cool, clear air of the Colorado mountains. Gerald Ford golfed, swam, dined with old friends and danced cheek-to-cheek with his wife in a Vail nightclub. He was briefed daily on international developments, including Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's efforts to work out a peace accord between Israel and Egypt (see THE WORLD). He called together his top aides for a conference on oil prices, and met with White House Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld to affix the presidential signature to routine bills and appointments. But for the most part. Ford kept himself a chip shot away from the world's problems.
To ease the transition back to his official duties in Washington, he planned a two-day side trip to the Middle West this week to visit his heartland supporters. In Des Moines, he was to attend the Iowa State Fair (setting for the book and two movies called State Fair), where farmers were celebrating impending record harvests of corn and wheat. After touring 4-H exhibits, cattle barns and hog pens. Ford was to outline his farm policy to fairgoers in the main grandstand. His speech was to be wedged in among the regular acts, including country musicians, hog callers and the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show.
On the surface, the President's holiday mood appeared to reflect the tranquillity of much of the country. A year ago, the nation was in a turmoil over the Watergate scandals and Richard Nixon's resignation as President. This August most Americans seemed determined to make the best of the season. In California alone, crowds at parks and campgrounds will hit 50 million this year, an increase of almost 20% over last year. Similarly, attendance at major-league baseball games already approaches the 1973 record of 30,108,926.