• If you look over the fence and see that your neighbour seems to have larger produce than you in their garden, don’t get discouraged. Instead of trying to enter your veggies under section one into the North Thompson Fall Fair exhibit hall contests, why not try some preserving and enter it under section six - home canning. This is also the answer to all that garden produce that is ripening early this year due to the long hot summer.
There are the usual categories of jams, marmalades and jellies, of course, but then there are also the other categories, such as canned vegetables, pickles and relishes and interesting items like antipasto, barbecue sauce, mincemeat, chutney and salsa.
And then there are the other categories that include canned meat, poultry and fish. With sub categories of beef, chicken, fish, smoked fish, and wild game.
• Do you have a few chickens, a cow or two, or keep bees or grow grapes? If you do, check out section two in the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo Catalog. The fair contest includes the perfect categories for you. You can show off the lovely large eggs that your chickens produce or the honey and beeswax from your honey bees.
There are categories for milk products, including butter, yogurt, cheese, and even soap; which is interesting, who knew you could make soap from milk?
Division D is where you’ll find information on the many different categories under which to enter your home-made wine – whether or not you use grapes to make it.
There’s even a division to enter wool, if you happen to also have sheep. This division also includes a category for other natural fibers, such as cotton.
• “Knit one, purl one, repeat to end of row... augh! I dropped a stitch.” Have you been heard to mutter such things? Well, why not enter the result of your hard work in one of the Fall Fair contests? The section you will want to look at is section five, for all things crocheted, knitted, spun, woven, or felted.
Division A is for anything crocheted, a personal favourite for many working with these types of creations - after all, there is only one ‘needle’ (crochet hook) to have to manage, and only one stitch on it at a time. Then there is division B, for knitted items (a little trickier with anywhere from two to four needles), and separate divisions for spinning, weaving and felting.
There are also divisions in this section for those 65 years of age and older, and one for those who are disabled.
For a complete list of categories, pick up your copy of the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo catalog at area businesses, the Star/Journal, or at the Fall Fair office in the Barriere IDA mall. The Fair office will be open Wednesday through Saturday from Aug. 12 to Aug. 29. Hours: Wed. to Fri. 10 am - 4 pm; and Sat. 10 am - 1 pm. You can also go to: www.fallfair-rodeo.com where you will find the catalogue online.