Some of the comments left regarding my local show post got me tot thinking in this age where there is a definite upsurge in the number of people cooking more, gardening more, sewing more why aren’t the local shows getting the entries they used to? (I say that generally because there was a definite up swing in our show entries this year)
Is it because we are afraid that someone will judge our work “not worthy”.
When I say I was lectured by the steward at our show about not cutting my citrus properly I mean LECTURED I suppose I could have been offended but instead I took it with a very serious face and then laughed my head off when I got outside!
I know my grapefruit tasted better than the ones that won, I know my lemons were probably as good as the ones that won third place but in the giant scheme of things it was fun to enter, exciting to get to the pavilion to see if I had won anything and I still made lemonade.
See I am not a competitive person by nature but I’ll be blowed if our local show will go without quilt entries because I was too lazy to rip one off the kids bed and enter it (yes literally and of course Friday night was the coldest night of year here and daisyson18 wouldn’t let me forget it ribbon or no ribbon!!)
I believe in community and our local show is part of our community I want to know that a lady I nod to at the bus stop in the afternoon is a really great photographer, I want to know that a mum who seems chronically disorganised is probably that way because she got a first for almost all the cooking she entered. I want to know these things about my community.
A few years ago when we were in the grip of drought a lady who has had great success with her rosella jam had her rosellas pinched - seriously they climbed over the fence and ripped the plants right out of the garden!!!!! Now as shocking as that is it is also kind of funny – like an episode of Midsommer Murders!!! I Love that about my community that there are the crackpots and odd balls.
Like the guy who staked out the jam competition last year because he didn’t clean sweep the section because I won a third for my peach and nectarine jam – when he asked for the recipe and I told him I just chucked everything in and guessed the amount of sugar he just laughed and asked me if I was game enough to enter next year…..I wasn’t but not because I was scared to - but because I haven’t had time to make jam for ages. But 2010 look out buddy there will be another recipeless challenge to your domination.
I guess what I am trying to say is be good buddies to your community support your local Show or Fair if they don’t have a category for what you made or grow then ask them to include it It doesn’t matter if you win or not it matters that people will see that someone is growing things and sewing things and cooking things and that menas everyone wins.
Is it because we are afraid that someone will judge our work “not worthy”.
When I say I was lectured by the steward at our show about not cutting my citrus properly I mean LECTURED I suppose I could have been offended but instead I took it with a very serious face and then laughed my head off when I got outside!
I know my grapefruit tasted better than the ones that won, I know my lemons were probably as good as the ones that won third place but in the giant scheme of things it was fun to enter, exciting to get to the pavilion to see if I had won anything and I still made lemonade.
See I am not a competitive person by nature but I’ll be blowed if our local show will go without quilt entries because I was too lazy to rip one off the kids bed and enter it (yes literally and of course Friday night was the coldest night of year here and daisyson18 wouldn’t let me forget it ribbon or no ribbon!!)
I believe in community and our local show is part of our community I want to know that a lady I nod to at the bus stop in the afternoon is a really great photographer, I want to know that a mum who seems chronically disorganised is probably that way because she got a first for almost all the cooking she entered. I want to know these things about my community.
A few years ago when we were in the grip of drought a lady who has had great success with her rosella jam had her rosellas pinched - seriously they climbed over the fence and ripped the plants right out of the garden!!!!! Now as shocking as that is it is also kind of funny – like an episode of Midsommer Murders!!! I Love that about my community that there are the crackpots and odd balls.
Like the guy who staked out the jam competition last year because he didn’t clean sweep the section because I won a third for my peach and nectarine jam – when he asked for the recipe and I told him I just chucked everything in and guessed the amount of sugar he just laughed and asked me if I was game enough to enter next year…..I wasn’t but not because I was scared to - but because I haven’t had time to make jam for ages. But 2010 look out buddy there will be another recipeless challenge to your domination.
I guess what I am trying to say is be good buddies to your community support your local Show or Fair if they don’t have a category for what you made or grow then ask them to include it It doesn’t matter if you win or not it matters that people will see that someone is growing things and sewing things and cooking things and that menas everyone wins.
Daisymum
4 comments:
In our village the annual show lapsed about twenty years ago. I am trying to contact anyone who was connected with it in the hope of reinstating it again. I agree, these events hold a community together.
Margaret
Oh Margaret how sad!!!! I love Show weekend .
Daisymum
I love visiting village shows and there are lots near where I live, but you don't find many competitions any more. What you do find is plenty of people willing to tell you it's a bad example to set for kids, being at all competitive! Sad.
Angie, xx
I have been going to our local show since I was 4 years old and I must confess that this year was the first time that I walked through the pavilion and actually took notice of the entries. It made me think, if we don't start to enter in these competitions, and encourage other people younger to have a go, then there will be no competitions left. That's why it makes me angry when people are such sticklers to the rules and lecture you on how to enter your goods. If the local show societies were a bit more open then maybe people like me would be more excited to enter. But maybe I will have to perfect my jam drop recipe for next year....
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