With the Denver County Fair
just two months away, Coloradoans should be planning and plotting what
to enter in the Blue Ribbon Competitions! With over 100 categories, and
$50 cash accompanying each blue ribbon, the opportunities - and the
stakes - are high!
To
sweeten the pot this year, each competiton category has a designated
non-profit charity beneficiary. For every $5 competition entry fee paid,
$1 goes to the charity.
"It's
a way to get more of our favorite local business and non-profits
involved," explains Fair co-owner and Community Director, Tracy Weil.
"We get to help them out and bring attention to thier causes in a
really targeted way. We've tried to select charities that fit with the
themes of each Pavilon and its competitions."
So,
if you enter a tomato into our "Celebrity Look-a-like Produce"
competition in the Backyard Farm and Garden Pavilon, $1.00 of your entry
fee will go directly to GrowHaus, that pavilion's charity partner.
Other pavilion charities include Maxfund (Animal Pavilion); Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (Rocky Mountain Chapter) (Kids Pavilion); The Conflict Center - Anti-Bullying programs (Geek Pavilion); VSA/Access Gallery (Arts Pavilion); SafeHouse Denver (Craft Pavilion) and SameCafe
(Kitchen Paviilion). Others are still being finalized. In addition to
receiving the 20% competition entry donation, each charity will be
involved in cross-promotions, and will have a complimentary booth in its
sponsoring pavilion.
New Competition Categories
What
qualifies as a competition entry? Everything from pies to poems; from
bhubarb to robots, from chickens to...chicken impressions ( Yes, there
is a Human Chicken Competition, judged by the Colorado Poultry
Association...) And if you don't score the coveted Blue Ribbon, there's
always a chance you'll take home the 2nd or 3rd place irbbons in each
category.
The Denver County Fair is
unique among the nation's county fairs in its bounty of
non-tradititional competition categories. And with two new themed
Pavilions this year ( Kids Pavilion and Geek Pavilion), there are even
more categories to enjoy.
"You can enter a homemade robot into our Critter Crunch Fighting Robots event on Saturday," says Dana Cain,
co-owner and Director of the Fair. "Lots of folks don't realize that
the Robot Wars phenomenon began here in Denver - at a local science
fiction convention called MileHiCon. Those guys are running this event
for us."
The
Geek Pavilion also includes categories for "Best Invention, " Best
Geeky Vintage Toy Collectible," "Best Science Art," " Best Original
Comic Book" and more. The new Kids Pavilion includes categories found
throughout the fair, but with simplifications and age designations for
entrants.
The full list of competition categories, along with guidelines and prize details, may be found online here.
New Registration Software for Faster Check-In
This
year's online registration is handled with a new streamlined software
package that will make it easier to register, and easier to drop off
your entries at the fair. Says Denver County Fair Competition Director, Vikki Robertson,
" The new system will mean shorter lines and no filling out tags by
hand. I think the entrants will really like it. We'll be able to process
more entries, faster."
"We're
encouraging everyone to 'bring out their best,' says Weil. "County
Fairs are all about neighbors sharing and engaging in fun competitions.
It's all about the blue ribbons! So, for everyone who's ever thought
they make the best cherry pie, or the coolest hand-knit scarves, here is
their chance to prove it."
"Last
year, Denverites got their first taste of Blue Ribbon Fever," says
Cain. "It was all new to most of them. This year, the citizens of
Denver are ready to BRING IT! We're expecting to double or triple the
number of competition entries. And that will be good for the fair, the
folks who come to see the fair, the winners, and the charities. Really
... everyone wins."
