What a great year for gardens! Despite the hail and flood, the gardens this year have been very productive. I love beets but last year’s dismal harvest made me wonder if I will ever plant them again. Luckily, I did and was rewarded with the biggest, sweetest, and most tender beets I have ever tasted! Next on my garden list is my sweet corn—a favorite for the midwesterner in me. And of course, who can forget tomatoes, squash, and chili. If good weather continues, we will have beautiful produce and flowers at the fair. Come on out and see it!
Did you know there is a building at the fair that children all the way to seniors can bring what they have grown? It is the Open Class Building. Do you have kids or grandkids that love to garden? Have they helped you, or had a garden of their own? Encourage them to bring their best to the Bi-County Fair and compete for Blue Ribbons and Best of Show. They even have a junior category for children 12 and younger. They will never forget getting those ribbons and neither will you!
Now, how about the fair? The Bi-County Fair has been at Prewitt for over 50 years. It is always Labor Day Week-end. If you are new to the area, “Bi-County” is McKinley and Cibola counties. The fair grounds are north of I-40 and a few miles east of the Prewitt exit. You can see the rodeo arena and buildings from the I-40. The Open Class Building is tucked in the back of the fairgrounds. It is where everything that can be grown, cooked, crafted, stitched, or made by hand can be exhibited and judged. To get more information, type: “Bi-County Fair” on the internet and the McKinley/Cibola County Fair website will come up. Find the Open Building, click on it and you can scroll down through the items you can bring to the fair. It will tell you how many chilies and zucchini to bring to the show and when to bring them. You can even register online.
Bring your things you want judged to the Open Building on:
• Thursday, August 29 from 3 pm to 6 pm
• Friday, August 20 from 10 am to 5 pm
See you at the Bi-County Fair!
Edith Iwan is a Cibola-McKinley County Master Gardener who lives and works in Thoreau. As a Master Gardener she assists the County Cooperative Extension Service in providing accurate, research-based gardening information to county residents. If you have any gardening questions, please call the NMSU Cibola County Extension at 505-2879266 or NMSU McKinley County Extension at 505-863-3432