By Lindsay Fiori
Journal Times | Posted: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 12:00 am
YORKVILLE - Jennifer Smith, 13, sat nervously as the judge took a bite of her homemade pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
Hunter Celeste, 10, bounded smiling from the judging table with three blue and two red ribbons to show for his homegrown vegetables.
Other children and teens crowded the Racine County Fair building Wednesday as it overflowed with youth projects - everything from baskets and jewelry to decorated cakes and photography.
Almost 5,000 youth projects entered in this year's fair hung from the building's ceiling, decorated its walls and sat on shelves, tables and glass cases that created a maze of
creativity. Although most people first think of animals entered in the fair, more youths enter the non-animal categories, said Tammy Brever, superintendent of the youth building and a fair board member.
Categories in Brever's building included sewing, ceramics, painting, aerospace and about 10 others.
"These are wonderful life skills you'll have for the rest of your life," said Brever, 54 of Burlington. "You'll know how to grow food for the rest of your family, how to sand wood with the grain so you don't wreck it."
Hunter knows about sanding wood. Besides vegetables, he entered three woodworking projects - a lamp, a hot plate and a key shaped board with hooks for his ribbons. Hunter, from Burlington, has been in 4-H for three years. When it comes to gardening, he said he loves picking and eating the vegetables, especially peas, which are his favorite.
"You have to fertilize your garden to help it grow," he said. "Some days you can water it or have a sprinkler out. You definitely have to weed it."
Hunter said he was a little nervous when he met with the judge to talk about his vegetables. Judging took place Wednesday at noon for projects in the food and nutrition, horticulture, house plants and flowers, and cake decorating categories.
Jennifer, from Burlington, said she wasn't worried about judging because she's been through it before. She has been in 4-H for four years and entered photos, a blanket and food items this time around. Wednesday she was judged for lasagna and muffins.
"I like to cook," she said. "I grew up cooking and helping my mom. It's fun because you get to make stuff no one's ever done before."
For judging, entrants took numbers. When their numbers were called, they went to the judging table where they talked to judges about their projects. In the food category, the judges asked children about their preparation and ingredients, taste-tested and gave feedback.
"I usually just have to ask one question and they bubble about what they did and how they did it," said judge Kathy Granger, 61 of Hillsboro. "I ask what they really enjoyed about their exhibit and what was the most difficult part."
Granger is certified by the state to judge about 14 categories of fair projects. On Wednesday, Granger judged food and nutrition projects by evaluating appearance, smell, moistness, taste and whether the food was over or under cooked, she said.
For their projects, participants receive blue, red, white or pink ribbons. Blue is the highest and some projects can receive special additional ribbons. A yellow "spotlight" ribbon highlights a certain aspect of a project. A purple ribbon means a project is outstanding and a green ribbon signifies a project's selection for next year's state fair, Brever said.
Christian Rya, 11 of Raymond, submitted a place setting for the food category. Christian, who has been in 4-H for three years, created a Super Bowl-themed place setting.
Christian glued a computer cutout of each professional football team's logo to glass plates and a cup. He used the Green Bay Packers logo twice because it is his favorite team. For the napkin, Christian used a yellow penalty flag with a whistle tied around it. The place mat was made of artificial grass.
Youth can enter a project if they are a part of any youth organization that meets regularly such as 4-H, the Girl Scouts or a church youth group, Brever said. The projects can be viewed at the fair until Sunday.
"We always see the negative things kids do, we don't see enough of the wonderful things these kids do," Brever said. "They're learning leadership skills and responsibility."