Fair Treatment
The DC State Fair showcases home-crafted quality
Did you know D.C. has a state fair even though it’s not a state? “We call ourselves a state fair,” says Anna Tauzin, a volunteer board member with the September 12 event. “It’s a subtle wink and nod at efforts for D.C. statehood rights.” Founded in 2010 by a group of friends who wanted to showcase urban gardening, knitting and crocheting, the fair is neither a political advocacy group nor a government-funded event. It returns for its second year at Shaw’s Old City Farm and Guild.
The fair officially kicks off with a Pet Parade, in which 75 pets (“Not just dogs,” says Tauzin) trot around the blocks surrounding Old City. Throughout the day, people can attend educational sessions on topics ranging from urban gardening and flower arranging to hand-dancing demonstrations. “It’s just a really great time for District residents to get together and celebrate all the things that make D.C. very special,” says Tauzin.
The chief draw is the day’s many contests, as victuals such as ice cream, honey, pies, pickled foods and even home-brewed beer and homegrown pot will be evaluated by a panel of judges. Naturally, there will be various art and craft competitions, prizes for unusually-sized homegrown fruits and vegetables, and a new Compost Contest. “I’m not entirely sure what’s involved in judging that,” Tauzin says, adding that “we get judges who know their subjects for each of the contests.”
Yet not all of them will get the full effect from the duty. It’ll be an honor, but not a high honor, for the judges of the Best Bud contest — who will evaluate 55 submitted plants based on sight, texture and other non-consumption attributes. “So no smoking, no ingesting,” says Tauzin. “I mean, can you imagine? If you smoked 55 entries, at some point you’d lose focus.”
The DC State Fair is Saturday, Sept. 12, from noon to 8 p.m., at Old City Farm and Guild, 925 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Call 202-412-2489 or visit dcstatefair.wordpress.com.
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