Mom's California Visit, Part 1: Alameda County Fair

My sister has lived in Idaho for nearly a decade, but she was able to keep the job she had here in California when she moved out of state. While Kari can work from home for 10 months of the year, she needs to be in person from mid-May to mid-July. Her job is about 50 miles from where I live, so I'm usually able to see her (and my niece, Allison, who travels with her) a few times while they're here. When I was visiting Idaho last December, Kari and I planned a trip for our mom to come to California in June while Kari was here. That trip just happened and I'm eager to tell you about the fun that we had!

On Thursday, June 18 my brother-in-law (Brian) and my mom flew from Boise to Oakland. They spent a few days with Kari and Allison before Brian returned home and my mom went to stay with friends in my hometown of Livermore, where she lived for almost 50 years. She had a really nice time. 

My portion of the trip started on Wednesday, June 24. Trevor and I met up with Mom, Kari, and Allison at the Alameda County Fair. 

We spent the day looking at exhibits, eating fair food, and finding all the things that have changed since last year.

This is new: Mom sponsored the Dave Jones Memorial Award for Woodworking, in honor of my dad who was an avid woodworker. 

She also sponsored an award for food preservation. Mom is an avid gardener and preserved a lot of food when they still lived in California and had tons of fruit trees.  

Speaking of fruit, this pineapple slushie came in a hollowed-out pineapple. I love fair food. 

One of the highlights of the day for me was meeting up with Ina Fried. I was 16, Ina was 14, and Kari was 13 when we met on a cruise. Kari and Ina have seen each a few times and I've stayed connected via Facebook, but this is the first time I've seen Ina in person in 38 years!

Off to the Hobby building! I love seeing people's collections on display. 

The fair has a new 9/11 Memorial exhibit this year. It's beautifully done. 

Also new was this big screen, one of four designated area for soccer watch parties. 

Another fun addition: painted pianos. I wasn't sure how many there were - turns out I spotted four out of five. What a fun idea! I've never seen this giant goat before either. When given the opportunity, always pose for a picture with a goat or GOAT.

  

I didn't make them pose with the rooster. 

I love seeing the cut flowers...

... almost as much as I like the garden displays. 

We watched the Rubber Chicken Variety Show, which was unique and punny. 

We went through the tractor displays... 

... and checked out the model railroad. 

I don't remember seeing this fountain last year. The Sky Ride has been there since 2018 and I still haven't been on it. I'm not a rides person. We didn't even go into the Midway on this visit. 

After a fun-filled day at the fair, we headed to our hotel. We spent the evening playing cards while snacking on kettle corn. 

We had a full day of activities planned for the following day. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. 

Alameda County Fair 2025

I love the county fair. 

Alameda County Fair (affiliate link)

I missed the fair last year since I was busy having cancer. It was wonderful to be able to return this year and enjoy our favorite fair time activities: the exhibits, the shows, the food, and time with family.  

Alameda County Fair, 2023

I've mentioned many times how much I love the county fair. Last month, Trevor and I met up with my sister and niece at the Alameda County Fair. 

 

Alameda County Fair (affiliate link)

We're not rides people and I don't go to the fair to shop. Our top two favorite fair activities are looking at exhibits and eating fair food. (I miss the days when Trevor was young enough to enter the kids' tablesetting competition!) I entered a dozen or so crafts in the fair this year, so it was fun seeing which of my entries placed. But it was even more fun seeing Allison's first-ever entry, a display of her keychain collection. As for fair food, we had gyros and Dole Whips, both amazing. All in all, it was a great day and I'm happy to have it documented in a scrapbook.

"Dear Entrants,...." - Part Four: Photo Tips for Digital Entries

The pandemic interrupted just about every facet of life to one degree or another. County fairs were no exception. Some canceled outright in 2020 and 2021, while others switched to a virtual fair, with exhibits displayed online. Most, if not all, fairs will be in person for Summer 2022. But that doesn't mean that fairs are operating the same way they did pre-pandemic. Many fairs are asking entrants to submit photos of their projects, rather than the item itself. The entries are judged virtually, then the prize-winning entries are collected and displayed for people to see in person. 

There are some major advantages to this system for entrants, fair staff, and judges, most of which involve saving time and money. But there are some major drawbacks, too. As a judge, it is really difficult to properly assess something via a snapshot. I recently judged paper crafts for a county fair and the overall quality of the photos people submitted to be judged was pretty bad.

I wish I could show you some of the photos that were submitted, just so you understand how terrible they were. To be fair, some of the photos were fine and a few were even good. But there were a few that make me question how its even possible to take such a poor-quality picture. I'm not a good photographer, but there are some basics that literally anyone can do to make a picture less terrible. 

To illustrate just how bad the worst of the photos was, I took this snapshot of the trendiest project I've ever made:

Honestly, as bad as this photo is, it's not as bad as the worst I had to judge because nothing is too blurry to see, there's no glare obstructing the project, and most of the project is visible. When a photo has all those sins and more, it's tempting to disqualify the whole thing. Really tempting.

I've written a series of posts in the past giving advice to fair entrants from their judge (things like, "Don't give your judge fleas.") My recent judging experience has led me to write another letter.

---------

Dear Entrants,

Thank you for submitting your project to the fair. As a crafter myself, I know the time and effort that goes into your creations. As a judge, it is my responsibility to do my best to honor that time and effort. Back in pre-pandemic days when I judged items in person, I would carefully inspect your project from all angles and assess the tiniest details to ensure the best project wins. This is much more difficult to do now that I am judging your project based on a single photograph. 

Since you took the time to enter, I assume you would like to win? If that is the case, I strongly recommend that the photo you submit actually shows your project in its best light. Or, for that matter, in any light. One of you entered a photo that was so dark I could hardly make out the project. Likewise, if there is a light casting a major glare on your project, perhaps you could move the project somewhere else before you take the photo? Photos taken in indirect, natural light are usually best. 

It seems obvious to me, but apparently it needs to be mentioned: if you want me to judge your whole project, your whole project should be in the photo. If you're entering a scrapbook layout, but I can only see 60% of the page because you've zoomed in too far, I'm going to struggle judging it. And while your whole project should be in the photo, your whole room should not. Don't set your layout on the couch and then move to the other side of the room to photograph it. The picture is supposed to be of the layout, not of the couch. (You've done a lovely job decorating the living room, by the way!) 

A plain background does wonders to highlight your project. An empty tabletop or even the floor make acceptable backgrounds. I like to set a sheet of plain posterboard down and photograph my projects on that. Contrast is helpful. If your project is black or another dark color, photograph it on a light countertop or tablecloth, or on white posterboard. Do the reverse if your project is a light color. 

If your photograph is blurry, try taking another one. Isn't it nice to be in the digital era when we can take as many photos as we want and we know instantly if they are any good? Take advantage of that and don't just submit the first photo you take. I frequently take ten or more photos of my projects in order to get one I like. 

I want to say how much I appreciate those of you who took the time to make my job easier. One of you photographed your entry next to a coin to give me a sense of scale. That was very helpful!   

Pictures can be worth a thousand words, so when you submit a digital entry to the fair, think what words you want your picture to convey. Take the time to ask yourself what a judge will see in your photo. You've spent a lot of time creating a beautiful project and we want to see it and judge it fairly. 

I can't wait to see what you enter next year!

Sincerely,
Your Judge

Finding Craft Inspiration at the County Fair

Our family loves the county fair! One of my favorite things about the fair (besides the food) is seeing all the creative craft entries. I get so much inspiration looking at what others have made and entered. Today I thought I'd share some snapshots of strangers' projects I've admired at county fairs.

When a whole class or other large group all enter the same project, it is a nightmare to judge and a nuisance to display. But boy, are they striking when done right! I was admiring this collection of flowers from across the room. I really love this simple project made from a cardboard tube. I think the flower is from an egg carton cup, with a pom pom in the center. I did a quick search and wasn't able to find a tutorial for this online, so I might play around with it and write one myself. 

Here's another project that caught my eye from a distance. It's big - each of the eight panels is about 12" x 16". It's another group project, though I'm not sure whether each panel was done by one person or many. I'm super impressed with the amount of detail they got in this mosaic. That's not easy. I'm eager to try this, though on a much smaller scale.

This two-by-four turkey is cute, simple, and fun. A quick search reveals that a lot of people have made a project like this. Most credit Craft Goodies with the original idea. If I ever make my own version, I'm going to use washi tape on the tail feathers. 

This is a clever recycling project. I spy a can, bottle caps, nuts and a bolt, a plastic lid, a pop top from a soda can, and I'm not sure what that wire around the eye is. Regardless, it's super clever. 

I like this Pac-Man craft. (Remember my two Pac-Man crafts? I love them.) This craft would be fun as a flannel board activity where you can create your own maze, then move the characters through it. 

I've seen this handprint and footprint perspective project around a lot but have never tried it. I should. There are so many directions you can go with this. 

I love seeing what people do with quilling. There's only one quilled shape in this parrot craft, the tight coil. The design comes from grouping them together and using different colors. I totally want to try this. 

Beast, Belle, and the peacock are all sculpted from nothing but pipe cleaners. That's a lot of talent there. I'm impressed. 

I'm quite fond of these Batman and Robin paper bag puppets. I'm thinking you make these, add some villains, and then put sound effects on sticks (BAM! WHACK! KAPOW!) and you've got yourself the potential for one heck of a puppet show. 

Tons of items on display, but my eye goes right to that friendly lion. It's hard to tell from this photo, but the mane is sparkly gold pipe cleaners. 

It looks like a burger, but it is a painted rock. How cool is that? And where on earth did Carlin find such a perfectly smooth and round rock? I want to paint a hamburger rock!

I want to decorate all my egg cartons like this...

Here's another group project. Students brought in plastic lids and turned them into this gigantic mural. As cool as it is, I don't think I'll be making anything like this. I already save way too many items that most people would consider trash. (But on the plus side, I never need to wait for a cardboard tube, bottle cap, cork, etc. when inspiration strikes!)

I love these dinosaurs and want to make one stat. I have no idea how they make theirs, but I would cut a dinosaur stencil and put it on black paper, add a coat of spray adhesive, pour on colored sand, remove the stencil, then cut construction paper bones to fill in the black space. And then I'd use a spray sealant over the whole thing because I hate sand. 

What do you think? Do any of these projects inspired you?

Fair Food: NSD 3-Hour Sketch Challenge

This layout is another National Scrapbook Day sketch challenge:

Fair Food (affiliate link)

This was a 3-hour challenge. Participants had to make a layout based on this sketch... 

... BUT not as is. I flipped the sketch, used one photo instead of two, added a bunch of journaling in the lower photo position, removed some layers, and changed the shape of the text box. I thought the papers worked well with the rainbow of colors in our self-serve shaved ices. By the way, we're obsessed with those and a bunch of other fair foods. Everything in moderation, right? Right.

Solano County Fair, 2017

Last week, we went to our county fair. Because of camps, trips to Nebraska/Iowa, Nevada, and Oregon (which I'll share about soon), and other summertime fun, it was the only fair our family attended this year. That's a first for us. We usually attend at least two, and often three. We love the fair. 

Another first - Trevor entered items in only one county fair. Steve and I didn't enter at all. I did serve as a judge, but delivery dates (and restrictions on what I can enter) didn't work out for me to enter anything this year. 

As we were viewing Trevor's entries, it struck me how many of his prize-winning projects were inspired by Little Passports! In the picture below, you can see Trevor's Amish buggy art (Ohio), his bunny topiary (Rhode Island), his salt dough adobe (New Mexico), and his bolo tie (Arizona). You can also see the explorer ship that I taught to his 5th class. Five first place entries in a single display (there were others elsewhere), all because of our love of US history and geography. Pretty cool. 

Trevor should have another batch of crafts inspired by Little Passports to enter next year. Hopefully Steve and I will have some things to enter too. The fair is fun no matter what, but there's little that beats the excitement of finding your entry and seeing a ribbon. 

County Fairs, 2016

Another fair season has come and gone and it was another successful year for the deRosiers. Well, for Trevor, that is!

Between our Utah and Alaska trips, various camps, and everything else we've done this summer, we were gone during the delivery dates for baked goods for both of the fairs we enter. We couldn't make the delivery date of non-perishables for one of the two fairs. Steve opted not to enter anything. Because of the usual limitations wherein I can't enter anything I'm actually good at making, I entered the only jewelry I made this year, a pair of beaded earrings. Inexplicably, I haven't shared them on the blog. I like them, but they're really simple and did not place. So no fair ribbons for Steve nor for me this year. Fortunately, Trevor made up for our shortfall.

Trevor aged out of the tablesetting contest that he's done for years, so he decided to choose from amongst the other live competitions. The first was a robotics competition. He wrote a simple program for his kit robot, Sparki and presented it in front of the judges and fairgoers. He did very well and earned 1st place for his age group and category! This might seem less impressive when I tell you that he was the only contestant in his age group and category, but the low number of contestants probably reflects that fact that most 10 year olds are not into voluntarily doing programming and public speaking. 

The other competition he entered at that fair was a cell phone photography contest. There were 20 kids in that competition, divided fairly equally in two age groups. The kids were given a list of prompts. They had one hour to take 10 pictures based on the prompts and upload them to Instagram. The judges graded each photo on subject, composition, originality and impact. Parents were allowed to trail behind their kids as they ran around the fairgrounds, but could not assist in any way. 

Trevor had literally never taken a cell phone photograph until 10 minutes before the contest started. He learned how to upload to Instagram at the same time. Fortunately, he learns quickly and is very comfortable with technology. He spent the first 30 minutes photographing lots of different things that could fit the prompt, then used the next 30 minutes to edit and upload. 

After the hour was up, it took awhile for the judges to tabulate the scores. Trevor and his cousin, Timothy, passed the time by liking each other's photos on Instagram and stalking how many other people were liking their photos. 

We were shocked when Trevor won first place in his age division! We were even more shocked to learn that he was third overall of the 20 kids from ages 9-17! Good job, Trevor!

Trevor entered 27 of his crafts in our local county fair and did very well. Here you can see blue ribbons for his Peekaboo Garden, functional Paper Ferris Wheel, and Hot Cocoa Art. 

 

Here are firsts for his Bunny Finger Puppet and Super Scout.

Grandma taught Trevor about canning, so he entered preserved food for the first time. His pomegranate jelly earned a first place. 

 

I'll share one last item with you. This is a monogram that Trevor decorated with washi tape and Sharpies. 

Tomorrow I'll show you how I decorated my monogram with washi tape and a silk flower.