Gogebic County Fair kicks off judging

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood - Hundreds of exposition entries were in place to take part in the centennial Gogebic County Fair through Sunday.

The dozens of exposition categories categories in adult and youth classes allowed for friendly competition in traditional areas of food preservation, floriculture and plants, horticulture and culinary arts. There was quilting, needlework, knitting and crocheting, weaving, embroidery and creative areas of fine arts, photography and antiques.

"It's a friendly competition," said Marcia Erickson Lucas, a clerk at the adult horticulture booth while waiting for the judging to start. The Ironwood native came from Marquette to help out after taking over for her mother, Bertha Erickson, who clerked the same table for 54 years until stepping down.

"People are happy to see the ribbons," she said. "But of course, you know, they're not disappointed if they don't."

There is a nice array of quality vegetables this year, Erickson said. People take a lot of pride in their gardens and field crops and like to compare it to what others have done, she said.

Sharlene Shaffer, said that fairgoers can sit at sewing machines and learn from the experts at the Northern Lights Quilting Guild booth in the Expo building. There is also a raffle for a large quilt that was donated by a member.

The members make quilts for hospice centers, medical facilities and senior living facilities. In addition, they meet monthly to work on special projects.

The fair is a chance to do outreach and mingle with the community, she said. The guild is also working at the Emberlight Festival.

The model horse show class allows for other animal figurines and some creativity in the settings, said Marilyn Mildren, clerk. Collecting is also a wholesome hobby and it's a chance to continue displaying unique and sometimes antique items.

"This is basically to increase interest in horses, because we have a lot of horse show competitions down here at the farms," Mildren said.

There was no shortage of canning and bakery items this year but the entries continue to decline, according to Susan Evsich, a clerk at the canning. Many of the people who entered items are elderly and no longer baking or canning, she said.

Each category has its own guidelines and criteria, said Paulette Niemi, baking judge. The judges look at texture, appearance, shape, and then taste them as well.

"That's when it gets interesting," Niemi said. "If you have five cookies in the same category, sometimes it gets hard to distinguish between them."

Bonnie Maki has been judging for 30 years and said reading the information on the jars says a lot about the processing procedures people use and whether it's correct or not. There needs to be proper lid space and it helps to see the food is uniform and the color is good.

The items will be on display throughout the fair.