The Annual Reverse JENGA Unofficial Wastebasket Competition

Friday was the annual Greater Hillmomba Science Fair at the local junior college. But scientific investigations were not the only competition.

Participants are released for lunch at 11:30. That means all the teachers sitting back behind the folded-up bleachers for the sponsors' meeting are experiencing hunger pangs due to near-starvation, what with their regular lunch times being disrupted. Mrs. Hillbilly Mom herself routinely dines at 10:53 a.m. Monday through Friday. And a teacher from another district revealed that she eats lunch at 10:30 a.m. That's barbaric!

The Pony declined to enter a project this year. Making it the first time since the #1 son was in 6th grade that Mrs. Hillbilly Mom has not had one of her personal young 'uns joining her for the competition. Another first. Last year was the first time her mom was not available for bringing lunch to Mrs. HM and her spawn. This year, Mrs. HM brought a ham sandwich, rather than join her fellow Newmentia mentors in sending one to procure carryout.

Some fair participants board their bus and head for a nearby fast food establishment. Others have their sponsor call for pizza delivery. A few have parents bring in sustenance. This alleviates the problem in years past of a line from the in-gym food service dining area halfway around the facility. Still, all that eatin' results in a mountain of trash.

Being the sort to care about their environment, these sciency pupils do not leave their wrappers and bottles and cardboard packaging strewn willy-nilly about the bleachers. They take it to the nearest trash receptacle. Which is never quite big enough.

Here is the winner of the 2016 Reverse JENGA Unofficial Wastebasket Competition.

Looks like last year's championship effort beat it by a plastic soda bottle lid. But last year's used the rail. So we'll call it a dead heat.

Mrs. Hillbilly Mom is tempted to go check out next year's fair, just to see the wastebasket winner.