County Fair

[Marsha Cassada]

Our county Fair is coming up next week. Who all is working at, taking entries to, planning to go to their Fairs?

I'm working as a superintendent in the Antique section. Planning to take some knitted items, cross-stitch, jam, and dehydrated food. Also some flowers and things from the garden.

Also taking my little horses for the petting animal section for the school children. This will be so good for Rowdy. And Dapper Dan always loves this.

 

[chandab]

Our fair was a month ago, and the next county over was the week before that.

We barely made it to fair this year and for just one night, the last night, so much of the exhibits were already taken down.

 

[Miniv]

Our county fair was the first week of August........For about 9 years my daughter participated in 4-H.....first two with horses and then switched over to rabbits and poultry for the last seven.....It was work all year long, but still a wonderful experience with it all culminating at the county fair. THIS year she just couldn't give up showing her rabbits and poultry even though she's now an "adult", so she entered in Open Classes with some of our remaining rabbits and chickens.

She won "Best of Show" with one of our hens and won more premium money than when she was in 4-H!

Over 10 years ago we inquired about entering miniature horses in some capacity, but were told they didn't "fit". So, we rented space for a booth area and provided a "petting" area, plus gave some cart rides for the kids.....After the fair they informed us that they preferred we didn't return because it took away from the other animals and was too much of a liability!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Our county fair was the first week of August........For about 9 years my daughter participated in 4-H.....first two with horses and then switched over to rabbits and poultry for the last seven.....It was work all year long, but still a wonderful experience with it all culminating at the county fair. THIS year she just couldn't give up showing her rabbits and poultry even though she's now an "adult", so she entered in Open Classes with some of our remaining rabbits and chickens.

She won "Best of Show" with one of our hens and won more premium money than when she was in 4-H!

Over 10 years ago we inquired about entering miniature horses in some capacity, but were told they didn't "fit". So, we rented space for a booth area and provided a "petting" area, plus gave some cart rides for the kids.....After the fair they informed us that they preferred we didn't return because it took away from the other animals and was too much of a liability!

Took away from the other animals!?!? What a crock.

Our fair provides us with a pen. All the people who bring animals for petting are volunteers. We are warmly welcomed by the Fair Board. This year they expect alpacas, a mule, rabbits, goats, and my little horses. No one wanted to volunteer to bring the ducklings and chicks and piglets this year, however. I won't give cart rides; too many school children coming in groups to do that. Won't Rowdy get a surprise when 25 children come rushing up to pet him!

So glad your daughter entered her animals in Open and got money.

 

[Squeaks]

Our state fair is in a couple of weeks. I wanted to participate, but after spraining my ankle and my general nervousness for showing. I decided to assist my friend with her mini's instead of showing. Although, I think I'll enter Coal in the costume contest

Doesn't quite help our mini's are already growing their winter coats!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Getting my Fair entries together. I have some crafted things, but we also have an antique section, so it's easy to gather up some items for it, too. I'm making a decorated pirate treasure chest cake today to enter. Hopefully it will turn out. I found some "gold" chocolate coins yesterday; couldn't find a candy necklace, so I'm just going to experiment with some different "jewel" candies. Supposed to use fruit leather for the chest straps, but couldn't find any so I'm piping black icing. We'll see...

Also plan to take flowers and some vegetables. It's quite a project to get everything together, but I feel strongly about the county fair and want to do my part to support it. I've noticed that the last few years I've won a lot of ribbons it's enkindled a spirit of rivalry among some other gardeners and crafters. They want to outdo me. I think that is cool. May the best gardener and crafter win!

 

[amysue]

That sounds like fun Marsha. I wonder if fruit rollup or fruit-by-the-foot kids snacks would work for the leather straps on the chest. My friend made a ginger bread pirate chest once and used all sorts of fruit snacks as decorations. I think she used fruit gusher snacks as jewels and gems in her "chest". The dollar store may have candy necklaces. I think that is is awesome that you enter so many crafts into the local fair. I used to enter baked goods, photographs and canned goods. We are so busy with the farm now that I only have time to enter the ag related classes, we usually enter veggies and melons, the biggest sunflower contest, the best dozen egg class and the picnic lunch basket competition. I used to show my rabbits and poultry, but now just raise meat rabbits and chickens for fun. It was a lot of work keeping birds in show condition all year. I so much enjoy looking at all of the beautiful birds at the fairs. We have quite a few fairs in the area, and some are still quite agricultural.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Yes, I needed fruit rollup for the straps but couldn't find any in my hurried search. I ended up making black icing. Not as professional looking, by any means. It turned out pretty gaudy. At least it's an entry and will give some competition.

We don't have any egg awards; I might suggest that next year. How would they be judged? Uniformity? Weight?

I'll pick beans and peppers in the morning. We've had a hot, dry wind for several days so the flowers I was counting on may not work.

I'm not used to such a hectic life!!

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Can you please take some pics , id love to see what you take to the fair

 

[amysue]

Yes, I would love to see pics of your entries. The dozen eggs were judged on overall presentation, size and shape, color, uniformity and quality (smooth, clean hard shells) and freshness (they open one on a plate to see how it cracks open, what the yolk looks like and if it stays together or runs. They have a division for white, brown, multi, duck, goose and bantam. There were a lot of entries this year. I'm sure your treasure chest looks great! Good luck at the fair.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Home at last and we survived. Yesterday I worked all day as supervisor in antiques. We always have the most entries of any department and three of us at work like busy bees to get it all entered and displayed. Our judge this year was a little hard to follow; we couldn't figure out her criteria. She was rather quirky. But, judging such things is pretty subjective so we just went with it. Probably won't call her next year though... My silly treasure cake got a blue, and I got sweepstakes with my onions.

Today I took the horses for petting. Rowdy really needed this. He was not very nice with the first batch of youngsters: sidling, butting, and tossing his head. The second batch he did a little better but resented me showing them his teeth and resting his foot on my knee so they could feel a hoof. He got better with each group, and then decided he had had enough and had a tantrum. He bit the woman who was holding him and sidled into children--not dangerously but it wasn't desirable. She put him in the pen, thinking "that's it for him". NOT. I got him out and we had a lesson in manners for a few minutes. When the next group came in he was a gentleman, and by the last group he was like an old pro. Showed his teeth, left his foot on my knee, and preened for all the petting and scratching.

I walked him in the aisles of hogs several times during the day, and by the end of the day he was going past them well. Wouldn't get close to one, but lost the white-eye look. There were several steers and we walked past them often and he was more relaxed by the end of the day. It was hot and noisy. He was a tired boy when we got home. Also took DD. He was jealous of Rowdy being the center of attention so I asked someone to hold him also when the children came through. He loves the fair and was very gentle and cooperative. But he was very tired tonight; not sure if it is the snake bite, antibiotics, or age. They had a nice pen on sand, water and hay so their day was not too stringent.

There were two alpacas, piglets, a turkey, goats, a bunny, a donkey, and an emu for petting.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I took a few pictures this morning. It was fun but I'm glad it is over till next year. I was thinking of mentioning an egg category to the Fair Board. I might do that.

Photo of my prize onions and my orchid. Also the buttons I entered in "Collections". There were 9 entries and my buttons did not place. I made a child's dress out of a feedsack and got a blue on it. I was going to enter it in "Recycled", but the supervisor talked me into entering it in the sewing class.

I gave the Treasure Chest cake to some children. I will try it again some time, but do some things differently with it.

I won $67 in prize money, my most ever. It's fun to get money for wins. Now I have to put all the stuff away. And get busy with all my neglected chores!

 

[Debby - LB]

Congratulations Marsha wow you are so talented! I know it's a lot of hard work but you still have to have talent to do all this. All very beautiful.