The heart of the Fair has always been the competitive exhibits and 2013 did not disappoint. The State Fair Center was packed full of exhibits entered from people all across North Dakota. This year we had a whopping 42,847 exhibits entered in the Fair trying to win those coveted purple, best in show ribbons. The tried and true exhibits such as photography, needlework, fine arts and crafts, and foods held strong in their numbers. This year the Fleishmann’s Yeast Best Baking Contest had a record number of contestants with entries centering around the theme of dessert pizzas. Education exhibits filled 4-H Hall with 48 different North Dakota schools being represented.
The 4-H students were out in full force for the North Dakota State Fair bringing in 9,254 projects and livestock entries. These students work hard on their projects year round and look forward to the State Fair as a time to display their work to the masses. They care for their livestock daily to get them ready for the show ring and take great pride in the ribbons and premiums they are awarded.
Another group of students that were well represented at the North Dakota State Fair were the FFA members. This year, these students brought in 22,512 projects. The most popular divisions for FFA students were horticulture and mechanics.
The barns were bustling with moos, neighs and clucks with 5,175 livestock entries in the 2013 State Fair. An exciting return to this year’s Fair was the Paint and Appaloosa horse classes. Another exciting division in this year’s livestock shows was the goats. The number of goats entered in 2013 exploded from previous years with 405 entries, compared to the 325 entries in 2012.
Looks Great, Shelly!