Mecosta County Fair 2012

annie1992

14 years ago

yes, it's fair time, so being the good farm family we are, we went off to the local agricultural fair.

First we stopped to watch the chicken judging. There were some fine specimens on display but this cage really caught my eye. (grin) OK, I'm strange, but it was funny, I swear!

Madison really enjoyed the goats. I thought this one looked like Jarjar Binks, of Star Wars fame.

Makayla made her first fair entries, an All American rhubarb/strawberry pie, which took a third place:

And this Frisian loaf, which took a blue ribbon. It was in a display case, so I couldln't get a picture of the ribbon. She made it herself, though, the only help I gave her was in "weighing". It was supposed to be a two pound loaf and we don't have a scale, so I had to help. We were a touch over, 1.1 ounces over to be exact, but not enough to keep her from that blue ribbon!

Bud took his own blue ribbon with garlic from my backyard. He entered the youth group, so he was allowed "help" in growing it, but he dug it, cleaned it, trimmed the roots, etc. He was proud, the "Music" was twice the size of the second place garlic in his division.

I even entered some canned goods, although the competition isn't as heavy as it was 20 years ago. Still, I did OK:

That's a blue ribbon for salsa, another blue for Carol/Readinglady's Pear Preserves. A blue for Nancy/Wizardnm's apple maple jam and a blue for LindaLou's 10 day sweet pickles. A blue for the canned heirloom tomatoes, a second place for organic grape jam and a third place for sauerkraut. Oh, and that big purple grand champion ribbon was for the Habanero Gold, so my thanks to Canada/Bernardin, which is where the recipe came from!

The only problem is that the fair is getting cheap and not giving ribbons for cooking/canning/household/etc. Bud got a ribbon for the garlic, as an agricultural product. Everyone gets stickers now except the Grand Champion ribbons. I think that the youth division should still get ribbons, it's exciting for them. The adults? Eh, who cares, suck it up and take the sticker,but I think the kids should get a ribbon, they work hard for those and it's important to them. So, I wrote a rather heated letter to the fair board who spends thousands of dollars advertising the demolition derby and told them that if they couldn't afford $50 or so for blue ribbons for the kids, I'd volunteer to pay for the blasted things myself. Sheesh.

Annie

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Comments (13)

lindac
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Some good looking entries there....especially the one in pink!!
KatieC
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Nice. Well, the stickers kinda suck, lol.

I agree kids should get ribbons...our kids get a participation ribbon if they don't place, both in 4H and open class. We've managed to hang on to ribbons and cash payouts ($3/blue, $2/red, $1/white) and keep the fair free....so far. Last year they started charging for parking, and really pushing the main exhibit building as an event center. Hopefully that will keep us in ribbons for awhile.

No entries for me this year...they conned me into judging (wearing a wig and dark glasses).
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centralcacyclist
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Great job, Annie and family!

I wanted to enter the fair with come canned goods the years Alice was showing her goats and then pigs but I never seemed to get on top it in time. And the local fruit/produce all ripens AFTER the entry deadline so that sorta sucks. I'd have to buy imported produce or at least stuff from SoCal if not Mexico. And that just seems wrong.

I think they still give out small cash prizes here. 5 bucks or so for first place.

I'm super impressed with everything - good eats. Kudos!

Eileen
wizardnm
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I'd vote for ribbons too. Kid's need that encouragement.

Looks like your family enjoyed the fair, just the way it should be.

Nancy
booberry85
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Kudos to you and the munchkins for taking all the ribbons. Good show!

You're right, it is a little cheesy that they couldn't crack out some real ribbons.
bcskye
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
You and the young ones really did well at the fair. Bet all your entries looked super, super yummy. I'm glad you got in a rant to the fair board about the ribbons for the kids. Kids are so proud when they get a ribbon, even if its just a "participant" ribbon.

I'd planned on entering several items in canning and baking classes this year, but they have their check in times which are during the time I have to be on the road to get up to my radiation treatments at the VA hospital in Indianapolis and I have no one else to drop them off for me. I probably will enter a pie or two in the pie contest because the time you enter them is late in the afternoon and I can get there then. They've always had classes in the pie contest for crisps, cobblers and tarts, but they've cut that out. Was a little disappointed in that. All new people in the Extention Office and I guess they didn't want to be bothered with them. Its a shame because they were very popular.
annie1992
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Yes, that little pink sweet sure takes a blue ribbon in our family, LindaC!

The fairs are all trying to save money, but more and more is being spent on midway rides and car racing and such. I don't know about any cash prizes, But I don't think ribbons for the youth could possibly cost that much.

We had a lot of fun anyway.

Annie
compumom
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
That's quite a loaf! It looks like Makayla is following in your footsteps as the family baker!
I'd love to see more photos of Madison, she's a cutie pie!
Congratulations, and yes, I do think they should be awarding real ribbons too!
Tracey_OH
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Congratulations to you and the kids! Love the look of that Frisian bread! Makaylas cooking skills already surpass the level of many adults. Our fair is just okay...definitely not somewhere to go after dark which is sad.

Tracey
caliloo
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Wonderful!

Are you allowed to enter a "recipe" that you have previously entered in years past? Our Grange has strict rules against that so since I got a blue with your Habanero Gold last year, I am not allowed to enter it again.

That is so awesome for the kids - you should all be very proud!

Alexa
annie1992
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Yes, we can repeat "recipes", since many of the categories are things like canned fruits or tomatoes or vegetables. So, many entries in the fruit division are simply canned peaches, etc. the jam category has sections that include apple, peach, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, "other berry", pepper and miscellaneous. I can only enter one item per section, so I couldn't enter an apple jelly, and maple apple jam, and apple butter, I can only enter one per section in a category.

We do have 4 divisions: 4H, youth, adult and senior.

Makayla's Frisian bread went in as a yeast bread, so she couldn't enter something like honey wheat also, although there is a section for sweet rolls so she could make cinnamon rolls.

the kids get a big charge out of it, their friends all go to the fair and see their name on the tags, so that's a big deal, especially if they get a blue and an adult in their family doesn't. (grin)

Annie
nancylouise5me
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Well done Annie! Congrats to you and the kids. I bet they were thrilled with the wins.I love going to fairs. We go to the Big E(Eastern States Expedition)in western Mass. come September. I never get tired of seeing all the different exhibits, crafts, homemade textiles and foods. People are so creative. Congrats again, NancyLouise
dspen
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Annie Are you the Annie that has the salsa that everyone raves over? If so, I have made that salsa so many times and everyone loves it. Also, if this is you, I also live in Michigan, in Berry County, just south of Grand Rapids.

Love this area

Diane

Mecosta County Fair 2012

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lindac

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Mecosta County Fair 2012

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