Be like a Boy Scout - Be Prepared. The Larimer County Fair is several months away, but now is the time to plan ahead to be ready to enter the Open Class competitions. The great news about the 2006 Fair is that you will no longer have to be a resident of Larimer County to enter Open Classes. Residents living outside of Larimer County will be welcome and are encouraged to enter.

With the Thomas M. McKee 4-H Youth and Community Building due for completion before Fair, Open Classes have plenty of room to grow. We need YOU to help make this a bigger and better Fair. Because of the extra space, the Flower Department is expanding. The cut flower, flower arrangement and plant classes are relatively unchanged.

The biggest changes will be for children and youth. There will be five classes for ages 5-12, including an arrangement of fresh flowers in a mug, a dried arrangement, a holiday arrangement and a terrarium. Also for this age group is a class to enter a plant that the exhibitor has grown from seed. To make it even more fun, the seed must be grown from something edible, like an orange or avocado seed. In order to germinate and grow a proper-size plant, now is the time to get started.

There will also be five classes for youth ages 13 -18. Their classes include a fresh flower arrangement in a cup and saucer, a dried arrangement, and a miniature arrangement (no larger than 5" x 5"). The plant entry for this group will be a houseplant propagated by the exhibitor from another plant part. This is another project to start soon. Suggestions for this are starting a leaf from an African violet, a cutting from a philodendron, a succulent, cactus etc. There are many possibilities. The youth section will also have a dish garden class.

Each of these sections will also have a champion with a special prize determined by points. Each blue ribbon within the section counts as 4 points, a red ribbon is three points, etc. The exhibitor with the most points in each section will be the champion.

The Horticulture Department will remain the same, but with the other counties able to exhibit we are looking forward to many more entries.

All flowers, vegetables and herbs must be grown by the exhibitor; it is time for planning your garden! Dried arrangement materials must be collected and dried by the exhibitor. That can be done until August.

Another change is Table Settings. Table settings are for two people, complete with a theme, menu and fresh flower arrangement. There will be three classes for the table settings: ages 5 -12, ages 13 -18 and adults. There will be a separate prize for the winner in each of these three classes.

For full instructions on all exhibits check the Fair Book, available by the end of May. Register for the departments you plan to participate in by July 17. If you do not register by July 17, a $5 per department late fee is assessed. At the time of registration, it is not necessary to specify which classes within the department you’re planning to enter. This is done when you submit your entries on judging day. Although each person can only enter once in each class, you have the freedom to enter as many classes as you wish. Please refer to the Fair Book for greater details.

Entries are judged in the open. The public is welcome to attend. Judging is always interesting and educational to learn more about crops and flowers. It is helpful to hear what the judges say as they consider the entries.

So, start planning your gardens, and we'll see August 1 - 8 at the Larimer County Fair.

The authors have received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.

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This page updated:  May 26, 2006