Getz claims Mr. Bulldog 2014

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | May 14, 20140

The lights are down, the music has played and the flashbulbs are gone. Mr. Bulldog 2014 has been crowned and the proceeds have been counted.

For the annual event held Monday, April 28, in the Colfax High Auditorium, senior boys competed in a mock pageant to raise funds for the FFA program.

This year, in a superhero theme, Austin Getz as Allergy Boy took the title while 840 pounds of food was donated and $435 in cash raised.

“The food was twice as much this year and the money was down substantially,” said FFA advisor and show producer Brian Long. “Which is exactly what we want.”

The audience had a choice of admission between five pounds of food, five cans of food or ten dollars.

This year, in a smaller class of boys, 10 competitors competed in talent, poise and fitness. Dylan Griffin as Mystique took first runner-up while Calum Larkin was third runner-up as The Lord of the Dance.

Judges Terry Asbjornsen, Casey Zander, Jenny Morris and Cathy Landers – all Colfax High School teachers – used a new system this year in which they held up their score on a circular card immediately after a performance.

“They only got booed once,” said Long, referring to a controversial answer from Riley Huntwork, The Nutcracker, which drew three 1’s and a 4.

Usually, a runner-up or Mr. Bulldog from the year before is back to judge the event. This year, however, none were available to accept the honor. Long said he would have had Kyle Johnson, a runner-up from the class of 2012, but the Spokane college student had a lab that night.

The $435 in cash raised mostly goes to paying for the Mr. Bulldog event, which includes t-shirts for contestants, stagehands, crew and ticket takers, along with hosts Jacee Thompson, Jolie Aeschliman and Roxanne Allenbauch -- as well as a lunch for all on dress rehearsal Sunday.

“Then there’s a pretty solid list of supplies to make things look that tacky,” said Long.