School art, craft projects can be saved for fair entries

With the school year coming to a close, Palouse Empire Fair staff members remind students to keep their school projects to enter into this year’s fair.

“Your imagination is the limit for what kids can enter,” Janel Goebel, fair manager, said.

Kids can enter the fair through FFA, 4H or open class. Adults are free to enter in, too.

Art in several mediums like charcoal, crayon, ballpoint pen, colored pencil and watercolor can be entered for the still life category.

“You could potentially do the same picture in a different form, and all those are different entries because you used a different technique,” Goebel said.

More creative categories include legos, crafts, knitting, crocheting and quilting.

In the animal classes cows, kittens, rabbits and chickens can be entered.

There is also a cat and dog show each year.

There is no limit of items one can enter in the fair, but certain categories have set limits, she said.

The fair will be Sept. 5-8. Participants can enter their art entries on Sept. 3 and animals Sept. 4.

Goebel said the exhibitor guide for those interested will go live some time this week, then in July hard copies will be printed.

“The fun thing is if you have something that you want to enter, and you don’t find it in the exhibitor guide we will figure out a place to put it,” Goebel promised.

The fair uses the Danish rating system, which means there is not necessarily one winner for each category, she said. Those entering items in the fair aren’t competing against others, they are trying to meet a standard.

“I got a white ribbon one year,” she said. “I canned peaches, but instead of using a canning jar, I did what my mom does, and put it in a mayonnaise jar; basically I was disqualified because I didn’t meet the standard.”

Goebel said there could be 30 canning entries, and they all have blue ribbons because they all met the standard.

She said the fair also has special contests, like the melt in your mouth chocolate contest, where people can win extra items, or cash.

“Everyone takes something different away from the fair,” Goebel said. “There’s a place for everybody.”