This year was our first year to enter the State Fair. Well any fair really. We don't live in a county that has a fair as we are the home location of the state fair. Last year one of the boys friends entered the honey he collected from their bee hive and the boys were just instant at that time that we enter this year.
Madd entered a watercolor painting and our spicy spaghetti sauce. Kai entered the milder spaghetti sauce and then brownies in the youth division for baking. The latter is something we will do again but with the whole day at the fair planned around it. Wowza.
I entered our variation of a yeast bread.
Being first timers we had no idea what we were up against much less how to enter. I've read the handbook several times now and I still have to pull it up for answers. Not that it's tough to follow, but when your entering such varied categories, there's lots of different things to remember.
Even still the boys did wonderful.
Madd got 2nd place with his watercolor. I have a feeling he'll be entering several art pieces next year.
Kai's spaghetti sauce got 4th and Madd's got 6th. They were in the same group. I'm wasn't sure how those are judged, so it's interesting to me. I have heard though that one factor is the air space. I've been told they do not open them at all.
(The green ribbon red sauce in the first pick and the pink ribbon red sauce in the second)
Kai's brownies got first in the brownie group (He was the only one, but even if there had been another. I think he'd have taken it..everyone had to stop and look at those brownies). The adorable girl who won Best in Show for her cookies - which is the division brownies are listed in- had it hands down. She makes those cookies all the time according to her friend. They looked amazing.
They worked to streamline the judging for this years baked goods kids divisions but we were still there for Hours. As an adult I wouldn't have minded, but you sit a kid at a table in front of his brownies for hours without him being able to eat one....and things get a little antsy. He did well though. Next year, we'll enter a few things and we'll all spend the day at the fair. That way they can go ride things in between the entry, the tasting, and the judging tally. I felt really bad for those judges. The first few bites, no, but that last one. Yes. 6 tables of sweets and I better have a salt lick in that judges room.
My bread won first place in the White Yeast Bread competition. Another long day of judging, but it's amazing to see a really good chef like something you tinker around with.
Next year I think we'll enter lots of things. Mostly in the non live judging events. Something where when we show up for the live judging events that we can ooh and ahh over the ribbons because the most fun Kai and I had Sat was hunting down our jars of spaghetti sauce and checking out all the fun art.
We also want to enter chickens next year.
