The Maryland State Fair

It has been many years since I last attended the state Fair at Timonium.

In 1995, my friend Florence and I ventured from the wilds of Cecil County to the confines of Timonium, hand made creations in tow. We entered our Home Arts exhibits the day before the fair began. She had to go back to Baltimore after the Fair ended to retrieve our goods. I was in Harford Memorial Hospital sans gall bladder and none too excited by that event!

As I recall, together we entered five hand crafted offerings. Florence entered a silk flower bouquet in the category for Best Bouquet. The Farm Queen would carry the winning bouquet in the parade, for all to see.

Florence is from Michigan and not familiar with Maryland at all. She decided to make her bouquet in the colors of the Maryland state Flag.

We went shopping for the necessary silk flowers to make said exhibit.

when she found out she was using black, red, yellow and white flowers along with black eyed susan, the state flower, she was somewhat taken aback.

Meanwhile, through the weeks before the entry deadline, we both worked on our exhibits, or so I thought.

I had taken a class in clay figurines and constructed a wizard, grey beard, pointy hat, marble crystal ball and all. He was in a class all by himself!

Also, for the driftwood class, I had a huge hunk of wood to decorate. first however, I wished to make certain that no... er, living things were still in residence. I cranked the oven up and inserted the log. I figured that the heat would drive out any lingering livestock. My roomate and my spouse both thought the house was afire.

I aslo made a dried flower arrangement for the Governor's desk category. Procuring thistle tops was one of the most adventurous undertakings of that season. It seems that no matter how thick the gloves worn, the thistles managed to find a vulnerable point!

Finally, my things were done, I was satisfied and Iwas waiting for Florence to arrive bringing her bouquet so we could take them to Baltimore and complete the entry process.

When she arrived, the flowers were still int he bag! the birth of the bouquet was yet to be!

In a panic we hurriedly arranged flowers and fuzzy things and all manner of bouquet paraphernalia into some semblance of a nosegay. We both agreed it was the worst thing we had ever seen.

We arrived in time to make all our entries, even the ugly bouquet, as it had come to be known. Even the lady receiviing the entries looked at it as if it were an orphan. Nonetheless, we committed our goods to the judges and returned home.

As I said, I was in hospital when it was time to retrieve the exhibits, so Florence went alone. I was waiting at the hospital for her return and my ride home.

When she arrived to take me home, she was in tears. I found out momentarily that they were tears of laughter.

Not only had my wizard won first place and a blue ribbon, my dried arrangement won second place and a red ribbon, my driftwood placed third, in the competition.

The ugly bouquet? It won BEST IN SHOW!