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| My pie pumpkins did not go to the fair. |
September
is county fair time. When I was growing up in Orofino, it was our family tradition
to visit the exhibit building at the Clearwater County Fair on Thursday evening when the judging was complete but the crowd was light. I have warm memories of that
time. We seldom entered anything in the fair even though my mother’s handwork was
beautiful. I don’t think she wanted her work scrutinized, and I understand
that.
The
county fair was important to the regional population back in the day. Even in
the ‘50s, people still lived on small farms and most women worked in the home. Skill
in the rural home arts was still cultured and appreciated, as both my friend
Chris and I can attest. And the monetary awards for the ribbons were important,
too. Winners turned that money back into their projects – garden seed, fabric,
yarn, etc.
In
my adult years, I lost interest in the fair, but a few years ago we visited the
Lewis County Fair in Nezperce. We heard someone comment that if she and one
other didn’t bring lots of entries, there wouldn’t be a fair. We were inspired to
participate, but the timing was always off.
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| Grandma Ina's still life from 1912 |
This
year Mike decided he would enter some of his leatherwork in the Lewis County Fair
and adamantly insisted I should participate as well. “Come on!” Mike said; “you
make stuff all the time. There has to be something you can enter.” So, I
brought out the holiday afghan I crocheted last Christmas and the rag doll Lucy
that I quickly stitched up to illustrate the 2015 advent story on this blog.
None of this was made with the idea that it would be judged, and I do believe
that the point is to improve the fair by improving your work. Even so, something
akin to excitement and pride came out, and I hoped these things wouldn’t be
passed over.
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| My 2017 fair entries -- $5.00 in awards |
Well,
we weren’t at the farm last Thursday afternoon when entries were due, and this
is always what stops us, but this year Mike refused to accept it. He loaded his
motorcycle bag with our entries and headed off to Nezperce (17 miles from the
farm but 60 miles from Clarkston). It was a lovely afternoon, and I’m sure he
didn’t mind.
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| The ribbon says, "Just for the fun of it." |
Except
for the afghan, we thought of our entries as collections (Mike’s leatherwork,
the doll and her accessories) but those in charge insisted he write a ticket
for each item. The results were interesting. Lucy in her dress received a red
ribbon, and the simple little flannel nightgown also received a red ribbon. But
the doll quilt made of squares quilted with diagonal lines and with one corner
askew, received a blue ribbon. Go figure. The afghan received a “just for the fun
of it” ribbon, and I totally understand. The winning afghans were tightly
crocheted, while mine was a quickly made “granny.” In other words, mine didn’t
involve as much work. But – it was a bright spot amongst all those others, and the
judge appreciated that.
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| $8.50 for the ribbons. "Best of Show" = bragging rights. |
Mike
did better, earning blue ribbons for his gun belt, belt, and holster, a red for his gun sling, and a white for the dog
collar. Actually, he tossed in the holster as an afterthought and earned a "Best
of Show" for it.
So, would we do it again? Yes, I think so. We’re already talking about it. Besides crafts, we want to enter jellies from the country berries at the farm, and I’ll work harder at that next year. So, you see, the fair is a good thing. It keeps you on your toes and inspired to present your best. KW
5 comments:
Quite an inspiration! I am dreaming of what I might someday enter into a fair.
I would like to know more about the entrance categories. Is it like, "quilts, knitting/crocheting, leather work, jams/jellies," or are the categories more broad like, "handmade, edible, photography"?
I admire you, Kathy, for making the effort. You did well.
You, too, Mike. Way to go.
Thanks for your comments.
Hallie, I saved the fair booklet for future reference, and you can look at it. Basically, there are broad categories, such as art, crafts, collections, photography, fiber arts, baked foods, food preservation and canning, eggs, fruits and vegetables, flowers. Then there are sub-categories called "classes." Our entries were "adult crafts." My rag doll was class 9, the little quilt class 10, and the gown class 11. Mike's leatherwork was class 19. They show 35 "classes" under adult crafts, and I read that the administration can add more as necessary. Jams and jellies are under canning, and there are guidelines for the product.
Mike's leatherwork and my doll were in the same display case, and that case was probably the extent of the broad category of "adult crafts." But at the old Clearwater County Fair of my youth, I remember a whole booth devoted just to the display of hand embroidery. Things have really changed.
The nicest outcome for me was a note that I found under the entry ticket on the afghan: "Lovely use of color and construction." I felt that the judge wanted to encourage me even though I didn't win a ribbon.
Well, it IS a beautiful afghan and very stunning spread out on a bed. The message was genuine, I'm sure.
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