As we enter August farmers, gardeners, crafters and artists will already be cultivating that giant pumpkin, fine crop of cucumbers, lovely roses, inspired quilt, or perfect bottle of wine they plan to enter in the 2016 Williams Lake Harvest Fair.
But the fair isn’t just for those dedicated fair enthusiasts, it is for everyone.
Men, women, children, and seniors are all encouraged to join the fun of showing of the product of their labours and hobbies, small or large as they may be.
The booklet of entry categories is available at the Tribune/Weekend Advisor and many other locations around the city and offers a whole raft of entry category options for exhibits in the Curling Rink and small animal barns.
The 40th annual Williams Lake Harvest Fair is set for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10 and 11 in the Stampede Grounds.
The theme this year is buckles, boots and country roots so think along those lines when creating your entries.
Homemade wine and beer, duct tape creations, photography, quilting, scrapbooking, cards and paper craft, pottery, needlework and sewing are just a few categories.
Within sewing and needlework there are numerous categories such as crochet, rug hooking, embroidery, doll-making, and place mats.
The home baking section offers lots of opportunity to share favourite recipes for bread, cake, pie, candy, loafs and more. There is even a gluten free category for cookies, cakes muffins and bread, and a whole baking category for youth ages 13 to 16.
Canning and preserving food opens a whole other door for participants for tasty fruit preserves, jams and jellies, relishes, pickles, fruit juice, canned meat, fish, vegetables and more.
The farm, field and orchard, cut flowers and floral art sections offer more great opportunities for exhibiting hay and grass crops, apples, eggs, and all sorts of flowers, flower arrangements and potted plants.
How about making an arrangement in the Bloomin’ Music category representing a song, labeled with your favourite song.
There are 30 classes in the cut flower section alone including sunflowers, zinnias, dahlias, cosmos, calendulas asters, marigolds and more.
The small animal section includes categories for rabbits, guinea pigs and poultry.
There are 77 entry classes for children, in arts, crafts, baking, collecting, drawing collage, photography and Lego creations.
Photography includes classes for both children and adults in themes such as birds, pets, sunset, antiques and Cariboo History, people children, flowers, wishers and more.
There will be a ranch rodeo both Saturday and Sunday in the Stampede arena and a gymkhana on Sunday in the Trail Riders Arena.
Both Saturday and Sunday there will be three performances each day by West Coast Lumberjack Shows which include skills such as pole climbing, log rolling, and log cutting using hand and electric saws and chopping tools.
The popular Pet Parade for children ages 15 years and younger takes place on Sunday.
Big toys, games and entertainment will also be back for children and adults alike.