Kristin Scores Big at Barrie Fair
Kristin went BIG at the Barrie Fair this year, entering items into eleven different categories. She came away with four first place ribbons, plus a second, a third, two fifths, and three merit awards.
She scored first place ribbons in the 'Banana Muffins', 'Flying Critter Made From a Clothespin', 'Photography - Nature Closeup' (shown at right), and 'Christmas Decoration Using a Snowman' categories. And the last one -- the snowman -- is the best story, but more on that later.
Jakob also intended to enter in several different categories, but a very busy schedule (including excess sleeping) resulted in a single entry in the 'Ice Cream Cone Decorated as a Clown Hat' category. His stellar effort there resulted in a second place ribbon. (Sorry, no picture... it kind of melted a bit during the fair, then later on he chewed the candies off it.)
The nature closeup photo win was very pleasing. Kristin took the photograph with mom's point-and-shoot camera at the MacLaren Art Centre butterfly release event a few weeks earlier. Along with hundreds of other people, they had released monarch butterflies in Heritage Park on the waterfront as part of the MacLaren's fund-raising event. Of course, many of the butterflies hung around on the flowers, so Kristin moved in and got the award-winning shot.
For her other photographic entry -- 'Flower Photo' -- she borrowed dad's heavy duty semi-pro equipment to cruise the backyard. We all liked her composition, and the judges gave it a merit award.
The Flying Critter Made From a Clothespin category had some serious competition, but creating beautiful things is one of Kristin's fortés. The award-winning flying critter, made from a clothespin and clay is shown at left.
But how about that snowman? Well, it occurred to Kristin that she had made a Christmas snowman several years earlier at a craft outing. She retrieved said snowman -- made from a painted piece of 2 by 4 and felt -- from the Christmas box in the basement.
The snowman was made at a function where the kids go from table to table doing different crafts that are semi-prepared for them. (For example, the 2x4 is already painted, and the felt is pre-cut.) Kristin was about ten at the time. When she took it to the fair, she was sure her entry was going to be "owned" by some of the other entries already there. But upon returning after the judging, there was the first place ribbon. Wow. But wait! That's not all...
When she went to pick everything up on the last day, there were two tags attached to her snowman. One read "Congratulations from District 5! This article has been selected to be displayed at our District 5, Annual General Meeting hosted by Great Northern Exhibition (Collingwood) Agricultural Society on November 1, 2008." And the other tag said "Your item has been selected for DISPLAY in the Craft Room at the Ontario Association of Agriculture Societies Convention in Toronto, February 2009." Well, how about that!
[UPDATE: And we never saw her snowman again! Thanks for stealing part of our Christmas, Agricultural Societies!]
Kristin also collected a prize cheque totaling $29.50. At press time she had not decided what she would spend it on.
