SPRING’S arrival has the Skeena Valley Fall Fair Society urging gardeners and crafters to start thinking about entries.
“The theme this year is celebrate local and we want that to be an encouragement for crafters and for urban and backyard gardeners,” says fall fair president Nancy Ross.
In addition to exhibit space at the Thornhill Community Centre, which is beside the Thornhill Community Centre, the home of the fair, the society has booked the Thornhill Junior Secondary School gym as well.
“So if you have an exhibit or display, there will be room,” said Ross.
For gardeners the vegetable category takes in beans all types, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, corn, cabbage, cucumber (slicing & pickling), garlic, green onions, kale, lettuce, leeks, onions (white, yellow and red), peas (shelling and edible pod), peppers (bell and other, including hot), parsley, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin (largest—register at Spotted Horse Nursery), tomatoes (cherry and other), turnips, zucchini, herbs, four kinds and oddest shaped.
For fruit there are green and red applies, crabapples, blackberries, currants and gooseberries, grapes, pears, plums and most exotic.
Butter, any style of cheese, eggs, cow and goat’s mill and yogurt entries are welcome as is honey, wine from grapes, tree fruits, herbs or other and lagers, ales and ciders.
The canned home preserve category includes, applesauce, crabapple, cherry, pear, peach, berry, pickled beans, pickled beets, sauerkraut, tomatoes, other vegetables, rish and most unusual canning.
Dried home preserves include fruit, fruit leather, dried vegetables and mushrooms.
Under jams and jellies there is apple, crabapple, black currant, red currant, gooseberry, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, plum, wild fruit, marmalade, fruit conserve, freezer jam and other.
Also on the entry list are dill cucumber pickles, dilled other vegetables, sweet pickles, any pickled vegetable, pickled beets, relish, chutney, antipasto, mincemeat, oils and vinegars.
Home baking includes whole wheat, white, multigrain and other grain breads, raisin and fruit breads, buns, sweet buns or g breads, muffins, all types of cakes, all types of cookies, cupcakes, brownies, squares, pies and tarts of apple fruit, pumpkin, lemon meringue or pies and tarts of any kind.
For flowers there are asters, dahlias under and over 6 inches, cosmos, gladiolus, marigolds, over and under two inches, nasturtium, phlox, pinks, roses, single bloom and grouping, snapdragons, sweet peas, sunflower single and sprays, largest sunflower head, zinnias, flowering vine, flowering basket, any variety grouping, mixed flower arrangement and tea cup bouquet.
There’s one entry per category per person in arts and crafts general meeting either original or by kit with the celebrate local theme encouraged for painting, all media, for drawing of all kinds or collage or paper-based creations of all kinds, in woodworking and other – metalcraft, felting and jewelery, etc.
The quilting category includes strip piercing, paper piercing and applique while needle arts includes wearing, woolcraft, needlework/embroidery, sewing a wearable art of upcycled or new material.
Pottery can be sculptural, decorative, functional for those with less than a year’s experience.
There’s also a best scarecrow but it must be made out of recycled material, be life-sized and have some means of support.
The fastest zucchini, the furthest one (to be decided in a race) and best decorated one will be sought.
For photography the categories are people, animals, landscape and best of last year’s fair.
For children from 1-12, there are categories for refrigerator magnet, pasta picture, popsicle stick tower, a stick structure Three Little Pigs house, smallest vegetable, largest pumpkin, largest sunflower head, Hansel and Gretel gingerbread house, vegetable people or animals, tallest bean plant, herb arrangement, Little Red Hen’s bread that’s a loaf, bun, white, whole wheat or multigrain.
There are also categories for a Little Red Riding Hood’s greeting card to Grandma, best decorated cupcakes and Willy Wonka chocolate chip cookies.
Children’s entries continue with paper airplane, pressed flower arrangement, Old Mother Hubbard’s decorated flower pot, papier mache construction, painted rock, recycled material creation and pottery creation.
Those who are growing animals can enter chicken pullets, waterfowl of any breed and rabbits in classes of being under six months or over six months.
The rabbit classes are commercial for meat or fur, fancy, wool and doe with litter.
Detailed information for the Sept. 7-8 fall fair is available at www.skeenavalleyfallfair.com.