Vail Daily letter: Be part of Fair and Rodeo
There are many opportunities to exhibit your talents at the 76th Eagle County Fair & Rodeo. It is easy to enter and the county fair is a great place to showcase your work. All residents can be a contestant by entering an exhibit in the Open Class division. Like an old-fashioned county fair, the Eagle County Fair’s exhibits include quilts, knitted and crocheted items and canned foods. However, there is also photography, art exhibits and much more.
Get out the cookbooks, recipe boxes, check the Web or look through magazines for a tried and true recipe to create the baked good you always wanted to try. There are several classes of baked goods including breads, cookies, cakes, candies, pies, and a division on recipes modified to reduce the fat or sugar content to make them healthier.
Do you preserve food? Jarden Home Brands presents the Ball Fresh Preserving Award to recognize fresh preserving (canning) enthusiasts for preserved fruit, vegetables, pickles, or soft spreads. Be sure you know the processing method, processing time and altitude as per the General Judging Guidelines for Food Preservation.
For those that enjoy dabbling in beer and wine making, there is a special division for those exhibits as well.
Of course there opportunities to show case many arts and crafts including clothing construction and those heritage arts of crocheting, knitting, quilting, needlework and fiber arts. You may be part of the wonderful local talent in photography and art that should be on display at the county fair.
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To enter, bring all non-perishable open class exhibits to the Eagle River Center at the Eagle County Fairgrounds on July 20 from noon to 6:30 p.m. Enter perishable exhibits from 7 to 8:30 a.m. on July 21. Judging will take place on Tuesday, but is closed to the public. However, you can view the Open Class exhibits which are open to the public July 23– July 25 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Look for the division that is right for you and read the rules and regulations for exhibits in the Contests & Open Class Handbook available at http://www.eaglecounty.us/FairRodeo/Open_Class_Exhibits/ or call the Colorado State University Extension office at 970-328-8630.
Glenda Wentworth
Director, Colorado State University Extension in Eagle County
