Art hall judging remains vital part of Coshocton County Fair

COSHOCTON − While there is a lot of emphasis on the junior fair with Coshocton County Fair participation, adult competition is also important in making the event well-rounded.

Art hall personnel report overall entries declining, but the quality of entries remain high according to judges. This includes photography, painting, drawing, canned goods, quilting, home décor, needlecraft, homemade wine, baked goods and floral and garden items.

Lynn Welker of New Concord was the judge for antiques. He's been in the business since being a child when his parents owned an antique store. He was bidding at auctions at the age of 10, so his parents could focus on other areas.

He never judged in Coshocton before, but has done other fairs in the region. The biggest problem he saw was people entering the wrong category. For example, entering a press glass item in the cut glass division. Bob Buxton, one of the art hall organizers, said that's unfortunately common.

"I think it's fun to see what other people bring," Welker said.

Shannon Stutzman of Berlin was the judge for needlecraft. She works for the Plaid Sheep in Berlin and was a home economics teacher for East Holmes Schools for 32 years. You name it in the sewing and needlecraft field, she's done it. One thing she likes about judging is she gets to see what others are doing for inspiration. It was her first time judging the event for Coshocton.

"I think the things were nice. You had some great projects," she said. "Unfortunately, it's diminishing. If people are doing it, they're not entering it in the fair. I'm not sure what the disconnect is."

However, encouraging the younger generation to enter in the fair is one goal of the culinary arts department of the Coshocton County Career Center participating in a special category.

Instructor Mike Cichon said every year he has his students bake one item and they're judged against their peers. He had 24 students this year with seniors doing blueberry muffins and juniors made brownies. They picked their own recipes and had no assistance from Cichon.

"It allows them to create their own product, research their own recipe and teaches them how to take pride in their project," Cichon said. "Every year the fair entries get smaller and smaller. Hopefully, if we get this younger group more involved, as adults they'll want to stay involved and get those entries going back up."

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

Coshocton County Fair Schedule

Saturday

8 a.m. Poultry show at Hunter Arena

9 a.m. Open horse show at outdoor arena

1 p.m. Harness racing at the grandstand

4 p.m. Junior Fair goat show at Hunter Arena

7 p.m. Demolition derby at the grandstand, public speaking evaluation at the youth building

Sunday

8 a.m. Pony and horse pull at the outdoor arena and Junior Fair llama show at Hunter Arena

1 p.m. Harness racing at the grandstand and cat and small animal show at the Junior Fair Arena

2 p.m. Market hog show at Hunter Arena

4 p.m. Mini-horse pull in the infield and dog show at the Junior Fair Arena

7:30 p.m. Bullmania at the grandstand

Monday

9 a.m. Open class sheep show at the sheep arena and open class dairy show at the dairy barn arena

10 a.m. Open draft horse and pony hitch at the outdoor arena, pie and specialty cake judging at the art hall and dairy show at the dairy barn

11 a.m. Rabbit show at the Junior Fair Arena

12:30 p.m. Beef breeder, feeder calf and market beef show at Hunter Arena

5:30 p.m. Pie and cake auction at the Rotary Pavilion

7 p.m. OSTPA/fair board truck and tractor pull at the grandstand

Tuesday

8 a.m. Sheep breeding show at Hunter Arena

10 a.m. Public speaking evaluation at the youth building and horse show at Hunter Arena

12:30 p.m. Tasting smorgasbord at the youth building

4 p.m. General livestock judging at the youth building

6:30 p.m. Lamb lead classes at the Junior Fair Arena

7 p.m. Auto cross at the grandstand

Wednesday

10 a.m. Stabled draft show at Hunter Arena

5:30 p.m. Showman of Showmen at Hunter Arena

5:45 p.m. Antiques tractor parade at the railroad building

6:30 p.m. Open class market hog show at Hunter Arena

7:30 p.m. Rough truck contest at the grandstand

Thursday

10:30 a.m. Skid steer rodeo at the pulling track

5:30 p.m. Sale of Champions and junior livestock sale at Hunter Arena

7 p.m. Motocross at the grandstand

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Art hall judging remains vital part of Coshocton County Fair