“Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?” The nursery rhyme puts the question quite well. How DOES your garden grow? Did you get all your pumpkins and tomatoes and other veggies planted, and have they survived our very interesting weather? And remember, all the area’s gardeners have experienced the same weather, so everyone’s vegetables and plants are late this year!
The North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo has all sorts of options for entering exhibits from your garden. Do you have a pumpkin that you are nurturing along and fattening up?
The entry fee per item is 50 cents, which is low enough that for a few dollars you can enter an entire salad! Lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, snow peas, cabbage, beets, beans and tomatoes, not to mention on the classes of squash, melons and peppers. And of course, there are all the fruit entries possible - apples cherries, currents, peaches, pears... oh my, one can almost smell the pies baking in the oven.
Speaking of pies... it’s time to dig out grandma’s secret recipe, shake out your apron, turn on the oven, and start measuring the ingredients for your entry in the baking contest. Be sure to read the requirements in the Fall Fair Catalog, as for certain entries particular ingredients are required. At the last pot-luck you attended, did they polish off the cake you brought? That’s a sure sign you may have a winning recipe. Make your neighbour green with envy - get a ribbon for your baking skills.
Do you love sewing or embroidering (or both)? Want to show off your talents to the world? Consider entering an item or two into the Sewing competition at the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo.
The entry fee is 50 cents per entry and there are lots of categories to choose from. Sew a shirt or dress, embroider a tablecloth or cushion, make a stuffed animal or an apron, or if you are really enthusiastic - how about making a quilt.
Whether you use a machine or do everything by hand, there is somewhere to enter your work of art. And who knows - perhaps your entry will win first prize.
The judges will look at the overall appearance of the item, the effective use of colour and prints, and nice even stitches, among other things.
The deadline for entries is August 26, so there is still lots of time to create something unique and beautiful.
Hmmm... decisions, decisions. Oils? No... acrylics. Or no, better yet, water colours or perhaps charcoal pencils. Now that you’ve decided what medium to use, it’s time to start painting. But what to paint? Shall it be a landscape or a still life? Or perhaps a portrait or cartoon? Say, maybe a sketch of dad snoozing on the couch!
The North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo is looking for entries for the Fine Arts portion of their contests. All works must be framed and ready to hang. There are several different age classes, so all can enter.
If you prefer to work in three dimensions instead of two, dig out your modeling clay or some wood and a whittling knife and create a work of art to enter in the Sculpting contest.
Of course, if you’d rather work with something a little less inclined to be messy, there is always the Photography contest. There are tons of categories including nature, landscape, animals, humour, and people. Get out your camera and start snapping away at everything and anything in sight: the dog and cat sleeping together, your brother just after you’ve clobbered him with a water balloon, the sun setting over the hills. You never know - you may just win first prize. Unlike paintings, photographs may be mounted on mats, but are not to be framed.
For more information on all the many contests available to enter at the Fair, drop by the Fall Fair Office Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They will be open every week until the Fair, and will be happy to help you fill out the forms or answer any questions you may have.