This coming weekend is the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show. For me it's the highlight of the year - I've been attending annually since I was a child. I used to go with my parents and remember watching the rodeo with my father and riding the merry-go-round and pretending I was on the fastest horse imaginable. Over the years I did 4-H and entered my pony, then my horse, along with sewing projects and a few other odds and ends. A few years ago my mom and I started to make a routine of getting up early for the sheep dog trails, then walking around the fair and checking out all of the various exhibits, from the fruits and vegetables to the photos to the flowers to the sheep and pigs, as well as catching the parade.
I've been entering the fair as an exhibitor for the past twelve years now; the first year I did three flower arrangements and two baking projects. I did well on the flowers (a first, a second and a third) and OK on the baking (a second on the cookies and nothing for the banana bread). Now I concentrate on two baking projects and add a couple of other things here and there. I've been getting firsts for my chocolate chip cookies nearly every year for the past five or six years (I've lost track) but each year I'm anxious in case a better baker has decided to put her or his cookies in! I do an apple cake and have consistently gotten a first for that. I've also been entering my zinfandel grapes every year for about five years and have gotten firsts every year for those. This year I'm entering the cookies and the cake but I am not sure about the grapes; they weren't even purple the last time I checked! I'm also entering grape jelly made from my grapes and maybe some basil, if I can find some the bugs haven't already sampled. I'll let you know how I fare at the fair in my next blog.
I hope everyone is able to make it to the fair this year. I'm planning to be there Friday afternoon and evening (I can hardly wait to see how I've done). I have my one corn dog a year at the fair, or rather I should say I have a corn dog with my mustard at this event. Saturday night I'm planning to watch the rodeo and then dance to Dean Titus and the Coyote Cowboys (always a treat!) and Sunday mom and I will maintain our routine and watch the dogs work, then the parade and visit all the exhibits. I know I'll see lots of people I often only see once a year at this event - and I hope you're one of them!