Competitors, big and small, come out to Naperville's Last Fling

Jack Murray had a trick up his sleeve as he took a seat alongside nearly a dozen other contestants in the spaghetti eating contest.

At stake was a gift certificate to Dairy Queen and bragging rights at the middle school.

When the competition began, everyone started chowing down spaghetti as fast as they could.

"I was pouring water over it to make it go down faster," said Murray, 12, of Naperville. "It kind of looked like soup."

The tactic paid off. Murray won.

Indeed, Sunday was a day of competitions, both big and small, at Naperville's Last Fling, held at Naper Settlement. From pie-eating, to canine Frisbee toss, to Scottish Highland games competitions, there was a little bit of everything for those who wanted to watch or join in the competitive moments.

Some, like Rhett Bobzien of Kenosha, Wis., shined. The meaty, barrel-chested 41-year-old clad with a T-shirt and a kilt was one of the few competitors to flip over a 20-foot, 135-pound wooden post as part of the Highland Games, sponsored by the Illinois St. Andrew Society.

"You really have to push your feet and drive them right through the ground to get a good toss in," Bobzien said during a break from the action. "I think you have to be half nuts to do this."

Several woman also competed in the events, which included a weight throw and a sheaf toss, which involves taking a 20-pound burlap sack filled with straw and tossing it over a post with a pitchfork.

For those more inclined to watch man's best friend go head-to-head in competitive frisbee-catching, dozens of dog lovers joined to watch the Ashley Whippet K-9 Classic at The Grand Pavilion. Competitors from throughout the Midwest came to try their hands at qualifying for the national championship to be held in Florida.

Tom Williams drove with his wife, Sarah, and his two-year-old Border Collie, Cooper, from just outside Cincinnati, Ohio to compete.

"It's just playing catch with your dog," said Williams, who's been competing in the disc tournaments for the last year. "We wanted to get a taste of where to go next with this" hobby.

Some families just stuck close to the tried-and-true carnival games.

Jamie Relihan of Naperville took a break from doing the carnival ride circuit with his kids, 8-year-old Sydney and 6-year-old MacKenzie, to try his hand at popping a few balloons with darts.

"Now take your time," a raspy-voiced carnival work instructed. "The more you hit, the better your prizes."

Relihan nailed three with ease, winning his kids a few small stuffed fishes and frogs.

"Once a year," he said, "you've got to win something for the kids."