Erik Oeverndiek/Daily Journal Mari Mantle, left, and Talena Fort tested their thumbs at the San Mateo County Fair Sunday. The two participated in a text messaging contest.

The Redwood Hall's solar-powered amenities ensured stage functionality during the brownout, while the contestant's self-powered cell phones safeguarded event fidelity. Fortunately, the power issue didn't affect rides, nor did it halt the running of the swine in the fair's always-popular pig races by jamming the starting gates.

“I borrowed the idea from the fair in Del Mar, San Diego,” said Sai Duhanel, head of the fair’s New Technology Department and mind behind the event's adaptation. “We aimed to garner interest from the younger crowd.”

That objective succeeded as tandems of youngsters, one to text and one to transcribe, were split up and given a list of 10 phrases and expressions to transmit between them on a standard phone keyboard. Tensions were high as both speed and scrutiny were pressed in an effort to minimize the typos that would ensure a loss of points on contestant’s accumulated scores.

“It was really stressful,” said Sandy Asuncion of Hawaii, winner of the texting challenge. “Spelling out 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' was the most difficult.”

Sandy's mom, Venice Asuncion who works for Jacklyn Kurth Orthopedics, was Sandy's partner and demonstrated the kind of filial and digital bonds that only a mother and daughter could share. She transcribed all 10 of her daughter's messages with accuracy and walked away with the grand prize of $50 cash as the runners up took $35 and $15, respectively.

At the start of the race, any unsaid texting taboos were thrown out the window as contestants zoned in on their phones, eliminating outside social interference and began frantically punching in such familiar phrases as “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”  The events conclusion, however, proved that many contestants had differing views on proper text-etiquette.

“I prefer to talk on the phone more than text,” admitted Sandy. “My thumbs get sore and me or one of my friends usually get caught once a week for texting in class,” she confirmed. Though sore thumbs were probably not something exclusive to Sandy, but there were some differing opinions on proper texting times.   

“Texting is easier because you don't have to talk to someone when you don't want,” laughed the 25-year-old Mari Mantle of Dublin who placed third with her friends Lindsay and Chris. “I text too much, when driving I sometimes use two hands to text with my knees on the wheel.” LMAO.