Grayson County is adding a Fair to the current Youth Livestock Show!
The Livestock Show is always held the 2nd Saturday in August, this year that’s August 11.
The location is Bottomley’s Evergreens and Farm, 10278 Elk Creek Pkwy, Elk Creek, VA 24326.Be sure to check out the new “Fair” tab on our homepage. It gives you links to all the information you’ll need to enter the Fair. You can also go to the Grayson County Tourism page, https://www.graysoncountyva.com/fair.
The most important thing for a successful
exhibit is to follow the description in the 2018 Exhibit Book. If you want to display green beans, you’d check the book and it will tell you how many of your very best beans you’ll need.
For green, pole and wax beans, you’d need 8 beans. For limas and October beans, you’d need a pint.
You also want to be sure that the vegetable is true to type and uniform. For wax beans, you’d want 8, nicely yellow colored, blemish-free beans of the same size and shape. You can put them on a paper plate, or any tray or plate you like.
Why did the tomatoes on the left win 1st place? Even though the ones on the right are riper, the ones on the left are all the same size and shape. The University of Kentucky produced this great publication about exhibiting vegetables. Here are some other things a judge might consider. These factors are listed from the
most important to the least important in the judge’s mind: Condition, quality, uniformity, typical of variety and size.
Condition—Free from disease, insect or mechanical damage or other forms of damage including dirt or stains—30%
Quality—Exhibits that are at their “peak of perfection” for eating. Specimens should be crisp, firm, mature but not overripe, and flavorful—25%
Uniformity—Uniform in size, shape, and color. The attractiveness of an exhibit is enhanced by all specimens being uniform—20%
Typical of Variety—Specimens should be typical of the type and variety of vegetable and fruit. Avoid unusual or non-typical types of exhibits for show purposes—15%
Size—Size of specimens should conform to market demands. In general, very large specimens may be undesirable since they are not as tender or flavorful as more medium-sized specimens. Don’t select specimens on the basis of size alone—10%
Stay tuned for information on exhibiting baked and canned goods!