Fair's traditions live on

From animals to crafts, county gets involved

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009

By JEFF NEWMAN

Staff writer

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Staff photo by DARWIN WEIGEL

James Trembly, 8, of Dunkirk pets a champion ram Saturday at the Calvert County Fair in Barstow. More photos are on page B-1.

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Staff photos by DARWIN WEIGEL

Jessica Shoemaker, 8, left, and Brooke Railey of Huntingtown get a closer look at a female goat and her kid Saturday at the Calvert County Fair in Barstow. The fair ended Sunday afternoon.

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Bennett Buckler, 4, and his mother Ann Buckler of California, Md., get their pictures taken at a tattoo stand Saturday at the Calvert County Fair.

For longtime county residents, the Calvert County Fair is a highly-anticipated yearly ritual. To newcomers, it represents a rite of passage, an essential component of one's county experience.

"It's a tradition that I'm really happy to see continuing," Calvert County Commissioner Susan Shaw (R) said. "We need those traditions to knit together the longstanding residents of the community and the newer residents of the community."

Shaw, who went to the fair each day it was open, said she spoke to several new residents who took delight in the livestock displays and craft exhibits. They also enjoyed the food, of which there was plenty. Everything from chicken and burgers to funnel cakes and caramel apples was available to satisfy craving appetites.

"Oh yes, I sampled lots of it," Shaw said of the fair cuisine.

Fellow Commissioner Barbara Stinnett (D) said some of the biggest draws were the annual pig races, Kachunga & the Alligator and Granpa Kratchet shows and the Washington Redskins tent, where former players and David "Spiggy" Spigler of the Hogettes dropped by Saturday afternoon.

Between meals and speaking with citizens, Shaw spent considerable time working the Republican Party booth, and was excited to see the nearby Calvert Hospice booth draw some interest. The booth had information on hospice programs and photos of the new Hospice House set to open in November.

"It just reminded me that we have a very good, involved community here," Shaw said.

One of those involved members of the community was Jennie Butler of St. Leonard, who was spending her first year as a volunteer. Butler was manning one of the buildings on Thursday, making sure everything stayed in order and that contest entries remained safe. She said she likes to crochet and this year was her first year entering her work in the fair. For her trouble, she won grand champion in the crochet category.

With her on Thursday was Gene Nice of Prince Frederick, who has been entering his own work in the fair for decades. He makes several different kinds of crafts, varying from Christmas ornaments to decorative plates, and his collection of ribbons was extensive. He said he first entered the fair as a boy, starting with 4-H. Since then, he has entered in farm and garden categories and now he enters in home categories.

"It was terrific. Our entries were up, attendance was up," Stinnett said. "The only problem we had was with the bumblebees." Attendance on Friday, when children were off from school, was "gangbusters," and almost brought the fair's parking to capacity, Shaw said.

Stinnett, who spent 10 straight days either helping set up or attending the fair, was impressed by this year's crop of crafts, particularly those that were hand-carved and ceramic. On Monday, she helped hand out awards to contest winners.

"I love the fair," she said. "Come on down next year. We're already planning."

Staff writer Carrie Lovejoy contributed to this report.

jnewman@somdnews.com

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