The most beautiful artwork, plants, fruit and crafts were on display last weekend at the Ponoka Legion during the Ponoka Agricultural Society’s Home, Hobby and Horticultural Show.
Hosting classes for children and families was a new idea for the society and ag society president Lauraine Weir feels the new addition was a welcome change for attendees.
Weir said the group’s main goal was to help celebrate agricultural living with a silk cocoon spinning, pull candy making, a hobbyhorse class and a freezer jam class.
She feels those clinics, coupled with the agility dogs event helped create a fun atmosphere for everyone involved. “There was some fabulous stuff.”
This year there were 35 new entrants with a total of 1,641 entries, explained Donna Rudd, convener and manager of the show.
“It’s one of the fun county affairs that is going to continue to grow,” said Rudd.
She feels the Ponoka Legion is an ideal location and hosting the event there gave participants a lot of room to show off the many different agricultural, art, photography and craft displays.
She says the event has deep roots in Ponoka with many participants turning up regularly for the last 30 years. There has also been an inclusive nature to the show, which has given opportunities for youths to show off their work. “That to me shows the future.”
As trends change, so do the categories, explained Rudd. She said their goal was to accommodate the changes in what people are submitting by adjusting the criteria for submissions.
She says there are not as many oil painting submissions but more pencil and crayon drawings and organizers want to recognize the hard work of artists.
The date of the event was also pushed back to give those in the agricultural competitions more time to allow their veggies, flowers and fruit to grow a little more.
Weir says the horticultural show is now a separate event from the ranch rodeo, which is set for the weekend of Sept. 6 at the ag event centre. She says this gives farmers and ranchers a chance to complete some of their farm work before the rodeo weekend.
The ranch rodeo is set for Sept. 6 and the cowboy challenge for Sept. 7, with a clinic on Sept. 6. Weir says she will have a better idea what the society’s membership thinks about splitting the dates as this is their first year using this format.
Winners:
• Special Needs: Allison Soosay
• Seniors: Irene Rausch
• All Things Christmas: Katie Huddleston
• Junior Division 1: Amelia Bos
• Junior Division 11: Rebecca Hamm
• Arts and Crafts: Katie Huddleston
• Agriculture: Kirstein Whiteside
• Art: Lyle Langford
• Knitting and Crocheting: Katie Huddleston
• Arrangements and Houseplants: Joan Van Wolde
• Horticulture: Gail Davis
• Alberta Horticulture High Point Award: Gail Davis
• Fruits: Fred Broska
• Domestic Arts: Kirsten Whiteside
• Quilts, Rugs, Wall Hangings: Deb Witvoet
• Vegetables: Kirsten Whiteside and Fred Broska
• Photography: Eldred Stamp
• Sewing: Irene Rausch
• Half Way Grove Women’s Institute Award for Blue and White Tea Cup Flowers: First: Gail Davis, second: Evelyne Gertsma
• Urban Landscaping (less than three years old): Judy Shaver, second: Jac and Janette Vandenboek
• Urban Landscaping (three years and over): Lorrie Jess, second: Frank Bedner
• Urban Vegetable Garden: First Jac and Janette Vandenboek
• Rural Vegetable Garden: First: Frank Bedner, second: Lorrie Jess
• Rural Junior Gardens: Division 1 – First: Amelia Bos. Division 11 - First: Cameron Bos
Awards of excellence:
• All Things Christmas: Nellie Bos
• Quilts, Rugs and Wall Hangings: Wendy Gardner
• Knitting and Crocheting: Christine Huddleston
• From Scratch: Katie Huddleston
• Special Needs: Essie Soosay
• Junior Division 1: Michael Schmidt
• Junior Division 11: Amelia Bos
• Arts and Crafts: Johnathon Gertsma
• Sewing: Irene Rausch
• Domestic Arts: Kathleen McKelvie
• Agriculture: K. Whiteside
• Horticulture: Gail Davis
• Fruits: Fred Broska
• Arrangements and Houseplants: Gail Davis
• Seniors: Norine Carlson
• 4-H: Helena Winter
• Art: Lyle Langford
• Photography: Eldred Stamp
• Vegetables: Fred Broska