Cumberland County Fair, Cumberland, Maine - 2014
Once again, I attended the Cumberland County Fair in Cumberland, Maine last week. I did not put up a post on it right away, because our own Maine studio hooker, Irene Adams, had some lovely hooked items at the fair and did not want to know the outcome of the judging before she herself could attend and be surprised. I am certain she was not disappointed! So let's get straight to the good stuff regarding Irene's entries.
Irene's Bear Pond loon foot stool was selected as one of the Best in Show items! Design by Parris House Wool Works. I was photographing through a glass case, thus the somewhat less than perfect photo.
Irene's beautiful interpretations of our "Summer in Paris" designs earned blue and red ribbons.
"Best of the Best." Indeed. Well deserved, Irene! <3
Seeing Irene's great success was the highlight of the fair for me, but of course, there was much more to see and do. The first thing I did was head for the animals. It was a toss up: animals or fiber art? Since I was with my husband and didn't want to bore him too much right out of the chute, we went for the animals.
Beautiful sheep, some of whom were being auctioned.
Moo.
The activity on the left leads to the activity on the right.
There were also chickens, rabbits, pigs, ducks, and more, but I did not photograph those. Maybe next year. The crowing of the roosters in the poultry house made me glad a thousand times over I have always refused to have a rooster among my flock.
OK, well...time for the fiber art!
Clockwise: 1) This was a best in show hooked rug. So well deserved. It's gorgeous. 2) Needle felted sheep. Precious. 3) Penny rugs! These always make me feel warm and fuzzy just looking at them. 4) I can't even tell you how long the glass case filled with knitted and crocheted items was. It was astonishing.
Once again, the Maine Tin Pedlar chapter of ATHA had a breathtaking display of their members' work.
I see these ladies at quite a few events. Always wonderful.
Yum. Enough said.
Of course, there were many, many handcrafts and products represented. Here are a few more.
Clockwise: 1) Beeswax items 2) Fly tying 3) Preserving 4) These were made of alpaca. Don't you want to just touch them?
One of my favorite animals at fairs is the draft horse. I love these horses. If I ever had a horse, strictly as a pet, it would be a draft horse. I know that's ridiculous. We were lucky to be at the fair when the draft horses were doing a pulling competition.
And, of course, as at the Oxford Fair, a sugar house, complete with maple sap evaporating going on.
One of my favorite features of the Cumberland Fair is its extensive farm museum.
Sooooo...how about an antique shop in a trailer?
I'll have all the cast iron, please.
There were quite a few horticultural displays too. The two that caught my eye the most were the MEGA pumpkins and the hydroponic growing display.
And, of course, at every fair, the decadent food and the rides. Frankly, I stay away from both, but I'm guessing some day grandchildren might pull me back in to this part of the scene.
And that's my photo tour of this fall's Cumberland County Fair. We hope to get to the Fryeburg Fair next week, which is one of the biggest fairs in the country, let alone Maine. We are such a diverse nation, and yet I think fairs are a common thread for all of us. Feel free to post your fair pics over on our Facebook page under the link to this blog post. Happy fair-ing!
Irene's Bear Pond loon foot stool was selected as one of the Best in Show items! Design by Parris House Wool Works. I was photographing through a glass case, thus the somewhat less than perfect photo.
Irene's beautiful interpretations of our "Summer in Paris" designs earned blue and red ribbons.
"Best of the Best." Indeed. Well deserved, Irene! <3
Beautiful sheep, some of whom were being auctioned.
Moo.
The activity on the left leads to the activity on the right.
Clockwise: 1) This was a best in show hooked rug. So well deserved. It's gorgeous. 2) Needle felted sheep. Precious. 3) Penny rugs! These always make me feel warm and fuzzy just looking at them. 4) I can't even tell you how long the glass case filled with knitted and crocheted items was. It was astonishing.
Once again, the Maine Tin Pedlar chapter of ATHA had a breathtaking display of their members' work.
I see these ladies at quite a few events. Always wonderful.
Yum. Enough said.
Clockwise: 1) Beeswax items 2) Fly tying 3) Preserving 4) These were made of alpaca. Don't you want to just touch them?
And, of course, as at the Oxford Fair, a sugar house, complete with maple sap evaporating going on.
One of my favorite features of the Cumberland Fair is its extensive farm museum.
Sooooo...how about an antique shop in a trailer?
I'll have all the cast iron, please.
And, of course, at every fair, the decadent food and the rides. Frankly, I stay away from both, but I'm guessing some day grandchildren might pull me back in to this part of the scene.
And that's my photo tour of this fall's Cumberland County Fair. We hope to get to the Fryeburg Fair next week, which is one of the biggest fairs in the country, let alone Maine. We are such a diverse nation, and yet I think fairs are a common thread for all of us. Feel free to post your fair pics over on our Facebook page under the link to this blog post. Happy fair-ing!
- Parris House Wool Works
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