MILAN, Mich. – An investigation is under way into the Milan Fair's cute baby contest after it prompted to a fight on Facebook with racial overtones.
Holly Anderson is the mother of the two winners, Dallas and Diamond. She told Local 4's Chauncy Glover that she went all-out for the contest this year hoping her 1 and 2-year-old would win.
This year it was a western theme.
"I decorated our garden wagon as a covered wagon and dressed my kids up as cowboy and cowgirl. I just did it so my kids could have fun," said Holly Anderson.
Each child had a money bin at the fair and fairgoers would drop in a dollar to vote for the kid they thought was the cutest.
Diamond and Dallas were crowned prince and princess. That's when Holly Anderson said things turned ugly.
"They're getting disrespected by adults, and I'm sure the adults that said the things, they have kids," said Anderson.
She said other moms took to Facebook and bashed her children. Some of the posts even had racially motivated remarks. There were also allegations that someone tampered with the money bins.
"They won fair and square," said Anderson.
in response to the allegations and the Facebook fight, the Milan Fair issued this statement on its Facebook page:
"It has come to the attention of the Fair Board that someone may have tampered with the voting boxes for the baby contest. Rest assured we are taking this seriously and are investigating. When the guilty parties are found they will be prosecuted."
The offensive remarks made on the page have since been removed.
"They need to have a better system with the fair," said Anderson.
The Milan Fair has said that because of all of this controversy they will not do the cute baby contest at next year's fair.