Visit the Indiana State Fair this year and you will immediately feel the presence of the Basketball theme. On the opening day, Friday, the four winners of the Hoosier Ag Today Farm Hoop Photo Contest drove through storms to get to the fairgrounds and learn which award they earned for their photos of basketball hoops on their farms.
Bringing home the top prize of $1,000 and other prizes for Best Overall was Britney Stroud of Wabash County.
“My family is pretty big into basketball and have been for generations, and we’ve always had basketball hoops on every farm whether it’s outside or in the barn,” she told HAT. “I knew of this one by stories my mom had talked about shooting with her cousins or brothers up in the haymow all her life through high school and I knew I had to get up there and get this picture to show it off to Indiana.”
Basketball hoops on the farm have been around almost as long as basketball, so the mix of the two at the fair works well. Britney agrees.
“It definitely makes sense to me growing up hearing everything about Hoosier Hysteria and knowing that it’s pretty true base on the way I grew up, and I’m glad to have it as a theme this year,” she said.
As for winning the contest, she said she is “pretty surprised. I didn’t know how well I would do. I figured somebody would have a better shot than me, but I guess not!”
Hear more from Britney Stroud:
The other category winners are Most Creative, “Hayloft Hoops” photographed by Jenny Modesitt, West Lafayette; Best Indoor: “Rush County Hoop” photographed by Aaron Curtis, Rushville; and Best Outdoor: “Sunset Swish” photographed by Kylie Schakel, Atlanta
Our contest was sponsored by CountryMark and the Indiana State Fair and coordinated by HAT’s Molly Nichols.
Winner prize packages:
Best Overall: “Haymow Basketball” photographed by Britney Stroud, Roann
- $1000.00, courtesy of Hoosier Ag Today
- Drum of CountryMark Advantage 15W40 Diesel Engine Oil, courtesy of CountryMark
- One pair of admission tickets to the Indiana State Fair, courtesy of the Indiana State Fair
- Indiana Barn Foundation Family Membership for one year and a 12” x 18” metal supporter sign, courtesy of the Indiana Barn Foundation
Most Creative: “Hayloft Hoops” photographed by Jenny Modesitt, West Lafayette
- $500.00, courtesy of Hoosier Ag Today
- CountryMark Solo Stove, courtesy of CountryMark
- One pair of admission tickets to the Indiana State Fair, courtesy of the Indiana State Fair
- Indiana Barn Foundation Family Membership for one year and a 12” x 18” metal supporter sign, courtesy of the Indiana Barn Foundation
Best Indoor: “Rush County Hoop” photographed by Aaron Curtis, Rushville
- $250.00, courtesy of Hoosier Ag Today
- Two Tickets to a Purdue Home Basketball Game during the 2023-24 Season, courtesy of CountryMark
- One pair of admission tickets to the Indiana State Fair, courtesy of the Indiana State Fair
- Indiana Barn Foundation Family Membership for one year and a 12” x 18” metal supporter sign, courtesy of the Indiana Barn Foundation
Best Outdoor: “Sunset Swish” photographed by Kylie Schakel, Atlanta
- $250.00, courtesy of Hoosier Ag Today
- Two Tickets to a Purdue Home Basketball Game during the 2023-24 Season, courtesy of CountryMark
- One pair of admission tickets to the Indiana State Fair, courtesy of the Indiana State Fair
- Indiana Barn Foundation Family Membership for one year and a 12” x 18” metal supporter sign, courtesy of the Indiana Barn Foundation
