Let's Go to the FAIR!

My friend and I spent the day at the Orange County Fair this week!

I loved seeing the demonstration gardens! The beautiful clock above was at the foot of this area. They had exhibits on all types of methods, from square foot gardening to watering techniques. It was the first time I've seen how a brussel sprout comes into being. We also checked out the animals and even saw the FFA club from our old high school in Mission Viejo.

We found some pretty interesting fair entertainment, from minstrels dressed like insects walking around on stilts, to the juggling family that performed while we ate.

Hooray for fair food! I had a cheese on a stick, while my friends had burgers and even fried zucchini. Things I wanted to try were: deep fried avocados, funnel cakes, caramel apples, deep fried twinkies....Things I could do without included the chocolate-dipped bacon.

The Vendor/Products buildings had all kinds of Gadgets and Neat Suff, and even one booth with that name! My friend and her husband explored all kinds of stuff for their new house, like window companies and hot tubs. I liked all the pet product booths.

Then, of course, there are all the rides and games....

But the highlight of the fair for me were the exhibits, since I was in 4-H all growing up.

The flower arranging and woodworking were in a separate building. In the crafts area I saw colorful quilts, cross stitching and embroidery of all kinds including redwork, huck toweling, knitting, tatting, tole painting, mosaics, table setting, canning, cake decorating, baking....I was really inspired creatively. Here are some of my favorites:

My Aunt Rita, a huge quilter, is dealing with an illness right now that's left her mostly unable to craft. So I thought I'd take her with me on a virtual fair day, and photographed all the quilts at the fair to print out and show her. I was really excited to make this neat mail surprise for her, and can't wait to hear what she thinks of it.

Next year, I'm entering the fair, in the adult divisions. Here's the site with the LA County Fair's competion's rules and deadlines info:

http://www.lacountyfair.com/2009/AttractionsCompetitions/Competitions.asp

I missed finding this info by two days this year, so I'll have to do it next summer. I'm going to have to keep a running list of projects and ideas for the fair.

If you want to know more details about the Orange County Fair so you can go yourself, click on the logo picture at the top of this post.

Have you ever shown in a fair? Do you make it a tradition to go to the fair yourself with family or friends? Let me know your favorite fair and favorite part in a comment on the blog.