Funny Bunny Games show silly side of 4-H animal shows
Coraline Mathiowetz and her rabbit, Cece, running the obstacle course for Brown County 4 – H, 2025 Funny Bunny Games.
Coraline Mathiowetz and her rabbit, Cece, won the 2025 Fan Favorite for the Brown County 4 – H Funny Bunny Games.
Chloe Johnson and her rabbit, Pants, run the obstacle course for the Funny Bunny Games at the Brown County Fair.
Funny Bunny Games, Costume Contest—(left to right) Kelly Hollingsworth with Vamp in Slumber party theme, Nora Bailey with Coconut, dressed as a coconut, Rhett Jensen and Lavender as a football player, Coraline Mathiowetz and Cece dressed as a grandma, Eliza Bkanek and Jamal as a space ballerina, and Lillian Brandes with Thorn dressed in Surfing theme.
Brown County 4 – H Funny Bunny Games winners from left to right: Nora Bailey, Cindy Jensen, Shelby Neudecker, Kelly Hollingsworth, Mara Kelton, Lorelei Wyczawski, and Lila Kelton.
Coraline Mathiowetz and her rabbit, Cece, running the obstacle course for Brown County 4 – H, 2025 Funny Bunny Games.
Coraline Mathiowetz and her rabbit, Cece, won the 2025 Fan Favorite for the Brown County 4 – H Funny Bunny Games.
Chloe Johnson and her rabbit, Pants, run the obstacle course for the Funny Bunny Games at the Brown County Fair.
Funny Bunny Games, Costume Contest—(left to right) Kelly Hollingsworth with Vamp in Slumber party theme, Nora Bailey with Coconut, dressed as a coconut, Rhett Jensen and Lavender as a football player, Coraline Mathiowetz and Cece dressed as a grandma, Eliza Bkanek and Jamal as a space ballerina, and Lillian Brandes with Thorn dressed in Surfing theme.
Brown County 4 – H Funny Bunny Games winners from left to right: Nora Bailey, Cindy Jensen, Shelby Neudecker, Kelly Hollingsworth, Mara Kelton, Lorelei Wyczawski, and Lila Kelton.
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NEW ULM - The Brown County 4 – H Funny Bunny Games began with participants gently coaxing their rabbits through an obstacle course with a foam pool noodle Friday afternoon.
For a full minute, rabbits attempted obstacles like the ramp, a tube, and ring of fire, which was made of yarn (instead of actual fire). The almost 90 degree day made for a hot barn and had some of the rabbits laying under the ramp or only making it about a quarter of the way through the course. Cindy Jensen and her rabbit, Scooby, made it through for first place at 39.8 seconds.
While he wasn't the fastest, Pants, Chloe Johnson's rabbit, made it all the way through the obstacle course.
"I am showing 5 rabbits at the fair but have forty rabbits total. I have a lot of pets, cats, dogs, goats, chickens, geese, and a turtle. I've been raising rabbits for about five or six years now. I love to do it because they're cute and fluffy," said Johnson.
Next, was the costume contest with guest judge Alice Lewandowski. Children dressed their rabbits up to look like a slumber party guest, a coconut, a football player, a grandma, a Twins player, a space ballerina, and a surfer. Nora Bailey and her rabbit, Crunch, won for their coconut costume.
There was a rabbit race where rabbits ran top speed down a caged enclosure by an encouraging handler. Shelby Neudecker, who has been raising rabbits for about seven years, won with her rabbit, Puck, at a speed of 4.03 seconds.
"I also have the largest rabbit at the fair. His name is Ash, and he acts like a dog and cuddles. He won 2 blue ribbons and a champion ribbon. He's a Flemish Giant. He will be competing in the State Fair, too," said Neudecker.
The fourth event for the Funny Bunny Games was the Buck Relay Race, where two rabbits run as fast as they can down a caged enclosure, one after the other, and combine their time for the fastest speed of the team. Mara Kelton with her rabbit, Huckleberry and Kelly Hollingsworth with her rabbit, Vamp, were the winning team for this division at a speed of 21.33 seconds.
The last event was the Doe Relay Race which was won by Loreli Wyczawski with her rabbit, Lottie, and Lila Kelton and her rabbit, Whiskers, at a speed of 21.73 seconds.
The 2025 Fan Favorite award went to Coraline Mathiowetz for her rabbit, Cece. Mathiowetz has been raising rabbits for about two years, and she felt pretty good about her win.
"I love rabbits because they're so soft. And they're a little bit of both easy and hard to train," said Mathiowetz.