Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Our First Fair Ribbons

Every year we have gone to the fair and I have thought, "Next year we will enter something." WB's grandmother used to enter her wares in this same fair for years when they lived up here. I loved going to the fair and seeing what ribbons she won. I have a feeling WB's mom has entered some of her artwork as well! My mother was in 4H and my grandmother always worked the 4H booth at their county fair. My mom has many memories of all the time spent at county, as well as state fairs. In fact she promised to share her Blue Ribbon Lemon Pound Cake recipe with us so the girls could enter it next year!

Anyway, the years passed and we never did get anything entered until this year. I started months ago, talking it up, trying to get my husband to pick out some of his photographs to get printed etc. In the end we picked some tomatoes and peppers from the girls garden, retrieved some gourds from the storm cellar that had grown earlier in the season, and took a framed photograph of Soph that WB had taken and given me for Christmas.


WB won an Honorable Mention for his picture of Soph.


Em got 5th place for this. We entered it as a gourd, but at the fair one lady said it looked like a Pikes Peak Pumpkin her mother used to grow. We got these at a pumpkin stand last year and WB saved and dried the seeds and we planted them this year. The girls call them Froggy Pumpkins because of their bumpy, green skin!


Here's Little One with her Fourth Place ribbon for a Froggy Pumpkin. She checked on this little guy every day and helped WB water each evening.

And here is Soph with her Blue Ribbon for her peppers. She was so excited and even got 3 dollars in prize money:)

Now we're already making plans for next year. Em wants to enter a drawing in the art contest and Soph is planning her garden. WB might even enter his pecan pie and well, I just might get around to entering something myself. But if I don't I know my family will keep me busy running to the fairgrounds entering their items, which I don't mind one bit. I feel like I'm keeping some family traditions alive and I love it!


*WB looked up the Froggy Pumpkin and we think it is a Warted Green Hubbard Squash, which is an heirloom variety that has been around since the 1700's...I feel a history lesson coming on:)

3 comments:

Smockity Frocks said...

Congratulations all around! (Now, you must read aloud Charlotte's Web. I know the girls would love it!)

(In otherly, random news: We just bought a dining table to go in our new house that seats 14! Y'all come now, y'hear?)

Dr. Mom said...

Congratulations! I really want to get my children into this! I had planned on doing it this year but time got away from me. You're the first person I have read about doing it, and now I will definitely make more of an effort next year! Thanks!

Pat's Place said...

Yes, Great-Gram always entered her various needlework items and outfits that she made to wear. She always won ribbons and prize money. I entered a quilt one time and won a ribbon. When Great-Gram moved down here I found her "stash" of prize winnings and her ribbons in her dresser drawer.