The Big Fresno Fair wants your Home Arts entries

We’re just a month away from the start of the Big Fresno Fair, which runs October 4-15. 

The fair is more than carnival rides and deep-fried food. It’s also about celebrating Fresno County and everything that makes it home. Fair organizers don’t just want you to attend the fair; they’d like you to be a part of it.

Becoming an exhibitor

The Big Fresno Fair features exhibits that showcase fine arts, photography, gems, minerals, gardening, agriculture, and animals. The entries come from Fresno County residents just like you and me.

Here are a few facts about me and the fair:

1. I love the Big Fresno Fair—like, really LOVE it.
2. I’ve been entering baked items and crafts into the fair since I was 9 years old.
3. I participated in Junior Exhibits throughout high school. I entered everything from a TV Guide Collection to homemade banana bread.
4. As an adult, I place entries in Home Arts. I bake breads and cookies, and claimed first place for my Fresno Fair-themed table setting a few years back.
5. My dream is to one day get a Best in Show ribbon!

   

Kathy Currin is the Home Arts Building Supervisor for the fair. She’s making a push for more exhibitors this year.

“I would like to encourage everyone to enter. If you never have, or if it’s been a long time, enter again,” Currin says. “We have contests, baked entries, quilts, and so much more to enter in. The exhibits showcase what is locally grown in Fresno County. Our baked entries use nuts, raisins, vegetables, and fruits that are grown right here.”

There are a couple of ways to learn about entry categories. You can download the Home Arts materials, or download the entire exhibitors handbook. You can also go to the Fresno Fairgrounds Administration Office and pick up a hard copy version of the exhibitors handbook.

“We sure do have some incredibly talented people here,” Currin says. “And for those who are doubtful they should enter their pieces or think they aren’t talented enough, I truly believe some people surprise themselves on what creative talents they have. And then to see their works on display, it’s an incredible feeling.”

Displays evoke a past time

The Home Arts Building is located along Chance Avenue between the Agriculture Building and the Main Carnival Area. Even if you aren’t planning to enter the exhibits this year, be sure to see them up close when you are at the fair. 

“It’s very important for Fresno County residents to not only visit The Big Fresno Fair, but to come to the Home Arts Building to see all of the entries,” Currin says. “I want them to feel they are walking back in time to their childhood and to see all the things their grandparents used to make.”

Deadline for entries is soon

The deadline to register entries in Home Arts is coming up. Paper forms are due September 9 and online entries are due September 11.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how excited the fairgoers are when they enter the Home Arts Building and see, for the first time, all the incredible entries on display,” Currin says. “If there is something you would like to see added to our building, just let us know. It’s all about working together to make The Big Fresno Fair a huge success in Fresno County.”