If you are thinking of attending your State’s Fair this year, I encourage you to visit the Home Arts Pavilion.  This Pavilion hosts an amazing display of skill and creativity, from fine arts to food and floral arrangements. All arts and crafts are created by the state’s citizens, both young and old.

 

When I was a child, my hometown held a summer festival called Klondike Days. Similar to a State Fair, it featured carnival rides, games, and food booths. But, rather than celebrate a place, in this case the province of Alberta, it commemorated an era, the gold rush of the 1890’s. Edmonton, the city where I was raised, had been the location where prospectors stocked up on supplies before they headed north to the Yukon gold mines.

 

Klondike Days, or K-Days as it was affectionately dubbed, was a 10-day exhibition held each year in late-July. The carnival rides and midway games arrived from Calgary, a few days after the conclusion of the (in)famous Calgary Stampede. The Klondike Days Exhibition grounds hosted magicians, musicians, and trade shows, and many fun Klondike-themed events occurred throughout the city. My family and I once participated in a parade where we were the stars of the show. We rode down Edmonton’s main street- Jasper Avenue, in an old-west style stagecoach, complete with armed outriders- but that is another story! In this blog I’d like to focus on the Home Arts Competition, an event which I think is underappreciated by many fair attendees. I hope to encourage families to participate in this showcase event.

 

Home Arts Competitions are held each year in State Fairs across the nation. Residents of each state enter handmade items into specific categories. Entries are organized, then judged by a group of peers, usually volunteers. Ribbons and monetary prizes are awarded in each classification (the overall category such as knitting or food preservation), or category (specific items such as ‘baby blanket’ or ‘strawberry jam’). To make the contest more fair, entries are divided by age and ability including seniors, teens, children, and those with special needs.

 

I was introduced to the Home Arts Competition at an early age. One of the highlights for my mom each summer was the K-Days Home Arts Competition. Each year she’d spent months preparing her entries, as she competed in many different categories. In fact, one year she entered over 50 items, quite the achievement! Here is a photo of her and her ribbons, circa 1990.

 

When we were old enough mom encouraged us to enter something in a children’s category. I never felt forced to compete, mom just led by example and let us decide when and what to enter, if we even participated at all. If we chose to participate, she helped us complete the necessary entry paperwork and tag our items (this was long before computerized tags). After we had participated once, we were hooked. The anticipation of attending the fair and discovering what you had (or hadn’t) won, was exciting …of course, the prize money was nice too!

 

I knew that I wanted to pass this tradition on to my own children. So I did what my mom did, led by example. Beginning about twelve years ago I began entering the Maryland State Fair’s Home Arts Competition. I started with the baking, sewing, and cross-stitch categories and was delighted with my results. The following year I entered the same categories (using different items of course) as well as scrapbooking. I won first place ribbons for a costume I had sewn, and for a travel-themed album. By now my kids were curious and, after looking over the items on display, asked to enter their own creations. We prepared over the winter, and the following summer my son entered a clay sculpture and a Lego™ creation. He won a first and a second place ribbon and was thrilled. I don’t recall what my daughter entered that first year, but she also won a prize. The following spring she asked to learn how to sew. She made a purse and entered it in the ‘first sewing project’ category. It was wonderful to see it had earned her top prize overall in the children’s sewing classification!

 

Now of course, winning isn’t everything and there are plenty of times our items don’t earn a ribbon. The kids still learn valuable lessons from participating such as how to plan and set goals, fill out forms, communicate with adults, and how to win (or lose) graciously. We make a point of walking around to enjoy and appreciate our competitor’s creations and are often inspired by the imagination and artistry we see on display.

 

Those of you involved with 4-H are probably already aware that the Club has a separate competition for their members. These displays are always fun to admire. The talent these kids have is amazing.

 

If entering an item or two at your local fair sounds like something you or your child would like to participate in, I highly encourage you to do so. If you are not the crafty type, or are pressed for time, I will be offering craft boxes with instructions and prepped (yay!) projects for kids. Some of these projects will qualify for State Fair entry, should you choose to do so. Beginning in January 2023 please check my store under “Subscription Boxes” for details and products.

 

Here are some tips I’ve found useful when entering items at our State Fair:

 

1. Plan ahead to avoid feeling rushed. Creativity can be suppressed when a deadline is looming. Waiting until the last minute to decide what item(s) to enter may leave you or your child feeling pressured to complete the craft or activity. This is not fun. Start creating early. Some years we begin immediately after the previous fair’s completion! We are inspired by what we have seen, and in full ‘create’ mode. This also gives us plenty of time to enjoy the creative process itself.
2. You cannot enter items made years ago. Most items must have been completed within the previous year, or occasionally less than two years prior to the fair. A list of categories for the following year is available on the website, and usually a hard copy can be picked up when you claim your items after the competition is over. This gives you time to plan for the following year, helpful if you’d like to enter an item which may take months to complete.
3. Be certain each item meets the specified entry requirements. Classes and categories may change their theme or requirements annually. Be sure to read the fine print. Details such as media to be used, frame type, or item size restrictions are strictly monitored and enforced. It would be disappointing and a shame to be disqualified for oversights such as these. (I know this firsthand as I attempted to enter a photo framed with the wrong material – wood rather than plastic, a few years ago).
4. Don’t be afraid to push yourself or try something new! The first time I made saskatoon jelly I decided to enter it, I figured “why not try?” Well, it must have tasted good as it earned a blue ribbon. Another year I decided to go out on a limb and decorate a cake for the Governor’s award (I am by no means a professional cake decorator; my only experience is with my own children’s birthday cakes) – it won first place. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather! You will never know what you are capable of until you try. Go for it!  My next ‘push myself’ goal is the themed cookie basket, one I’ve planned to enter for several years. Maybe this is my year to do it.
5. Before entering, be sure you are available to claim your items when the fair is over. If not, have someone reliable pick them up for you (our state offers two days for drop off and one day for pick-up of items). Mark your calendar! According to the Maryland State Fair guidelines, unclaimed items become the property of the Fair. You don’t want your handiwork to end up lost forever.
6. Enter your items online to save time at drop-off. In Maryland, Home Arts items may be entered online prior to a certain date. This means the entry tags will be ready when you arrive to drop off your items, rather than having to wait for them to be generated by the staff at drop-off.
7. Once tagged, at least in Maryland, you will have to drop each entry in its proper destination category. Bringing a box or a small handcart to transport your items from table to table will make your life a bit easier. The fair volunteer will give you a claim ticket which you must keep in order to pick up your items after the event is over. Put these tickets in a safe place.
8. All items entered will be kept until the end of the fair and placed on display, whether they win a ribbon or not. You will not know until you either visit the Home Arts displays or pick up your items if you have won any ribbons. It is always fun to watch my children find their items, see the results, and appreciate the talent of other entrants. I enjoy seeing, and am often inspired by my fellow competitors’ creations too.
9. Occasionally, discounted fair tickets are available for purchase at item drop-off. These are typically entry tickets only, no rides included.
10. If you are still uncertain about entering your own items, plan to walk through the Home Arts Exhibit this summer. Take note which categories have few entries and note which categories are flooded with items. This will give you a general idea of which classes you may wish to enter. Keep in mind though, the number of entries per category may vary from year to year. Either way, you should know that the judges do try to be fair and even if there are only 1-2 entries, will not award prizes to subpar or undeserving items.

Do you have any tips to share? Have you entered something in your State Fair Home Arts Competition? I’d love to hear about your experience below.