For gardeners’ convenience, Washington Gardener has two seed-swap dates: Saturday January 28 (National Seed Swap Day!) and Saturday February 4. Neither swap is in DC proper, but both are at least somewhat accessible via metro. January 28 is at Brookside Gardens, in Wheaton (about a 1 mile walk from the metro, which will hopefully be easier than the time this DC State Fairie went during one of the blizzards of 2010); the February 4 event is at Green Spring Gardens, in Alexandria–a 3.5-mile jaunt by foot from Van Dorn metro station. Perhaps a carpool is in order? At least one of us in DC State Fair wants to head out on February 4!

Advance registration is required to attend these events, but the cost of registration ($15 for nonsubscribers, $10 for magazine subscribers or “Friends of” the various host locations) is worth the copious seeds you’ll get and local gardeners you’ll meet.

Washington Gardener totally did not ask or even hint at posting this, but it’s an awesome opportunity to get new seeds to grow veggies for this year’s Fair! Or, you can test your photography skills with the Photography Contest the magazine puts on, as well–the deadline is this Friday, January 20, and winners are announced at the seed swaps. If you enter, good luck! (And feel free to enter your winning photos into the DC State Fair photography contest later this year!)

The three DC State Fair co-founders’ two-year board terms have now ended, which means there are spots available on the Board of Directors. If you have nonprofit management experience, a community development and engagement background, or just a passion to bring agricultural, culinary, and arts education to the community to develop and encourage neighborly showcasing of talent and competition, then we want you to apply!

This is strictly a volunteer opportunity–there are no paid positions within DC State Fair! But something that the new board may be looking at are grants to allow the hire of a full-time Executive Director in the next couple of years–with the launch of the Statehood DC campaign today, it seems like a great time to have a bigger and better DC State Fair!

Board Member
DC State Fair
Volunteer Opportunity

About DC State Fair
DC State Fair as a concept is about two years old. Officially incorporated as a nonprofit in October 2010, the organization started as three DC food and garden bloggers’ dream, and became a success through the tireless supporting efforts of other bloggers, friends, volunteers, sponsors, and community members who stepped up to compete in the Fair’s inaugural contests in August 2010.

The 2011 DC State Fair event, rescheduled to a late date because of Hurricane Irene, was a success as well, if a cold and wet one. To grow the organization, reach more of the DC community, and let DC State Fair expand into a true State Fair experience, the organization is seeking applications for Board of Directors members.

We need Board members who can bring this fledgling organization to the next level and make DC State Fair a truly community-driven and community-supporting endeavor. Nonprofit management, community engagement, and the legal and financial aspects of running small nonprofit organizations are highly desirable qualities in candidates.

Board Responsibilities
Direct the efforts of the various committees and their efforts for the organization (Volunteer, Contests, Events, Community Outreach, Development Committees and Subcommittees [Board members are encouraged to participate in committee operations but do not necessarily need to act as committee chairs]); liaise with DC-based and other local organizations and businesses that complement and/or support the DC State Fair mission; ensure stable financial and legal standing; offer programming and events throughout the year, in addition to the main State Fair event, possibly in collaboration with organizations that align with DC State Fair’s mission.

No personal financial contributions are necessary or expected to be on the Board of Directors of DC State Fair. But, of course, they will not be turned down.

Time Commitment
Semiregular meetings (determined by the Board) and intermittent committee/volunteer management duties depending on chosen role within the Board. May, June, July, and August will likely require more attention and time than other months. Actual time commitment may vary depending on how committees and the Board are organized.

Term of Office
Board members serve two-year terms, with overlapping terms (three members will finish their first year as the other two finish their second).

To apply, please e-mail your resume, a letter of intent, and one or two supporting documents (if you’d like) to kenneth@thedcstatefair.org. Please apply by Friday, December 9.

To all those who held on with us through Hurricane Irene, the rescheduling, and the frigid wet day at Crafty Bastards, we’re happy you came out to another successful DC State Fair event!

Photography Contest Winners
1. Seeking Enlightenment by pablo.raw
2. Spring at the Arboretum by Todd Lard
3. Flashback of Mom by Brian Mosley

Bike Accessory Contest Winners
1. Anica Allen, a versatile yoga mat bag made out of a pair of old jeans
Also won Best Recycled Craft!

Heaviest Vegetable Contest Winners
1. Mark Perry, 16.4 pound watermelon
2. Natonne Kemp, 2.4 pound cucumber

Longest Vegetable Contest Winners
1. Shawn Ross, 38″ squash
2. Mark Perry, 16″ squash
3. Natonne Kemp, 12″ cucumber

Funkiest-Looking Vegetable Contest Winners
1. Mark Perry
2. Old City Green
3. Old City Green

Community Garden with Most Entries: Blair Road Community Garden

Cupcake Contest Winners
1. Heidi Goldberg’s “Beetnik” Cupcake
2. A tie! Sandy Pollock’s Toasted-Marshmallow-Topped Chocolate & Graham Cracker Cupcake and Ninette Dean’s Apple Cupcake
3. Wayne Savage’s Yellow Butter Cake with Broiled-Almond Frosting

Most Creative Cupcake: Jess Zeiler’s Ginger Beer Cupcake
Best Vegetable Cupcake: Heidi Goldberg’s “Beetnik” Cupcake
Best Appearance: Sandy Pollock’s Toasted-Marshmallow-Topped Chocolate & Graham Cracker Cupcake

Pie Contest Winners
1. Claire Stein-Ross’s DC-flag-decorated Pear-Cranberry Pie (with nuts)
2. Ninette Dean’s Cherry Pistachio Mosaic Pie
3. Ninette Dean’s Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pie

Most Creative Pie: A tie, both by Ninette Dean
Best Crust: Also one of Ninette Dean’s pies, although this one required a “crust-off” to determine
Best Apple Pie: An applicious tart by Tammy Seltzer

Homebrew Contest Winners
1. Nugget Joy by Josh Greenberg
2. Anacostia Stout by Huge Blodgetts
3. Belgian Sour by Brian Barrows

(PS, DC: We’ll be letting you know the winners of the contests very soon, but you wore us out with all the excitement today, so we are taking a little rest tonight.)

Crafty Bastards is hosting a DIY Salon on the Crafty Farm, near the DC State Fair area. The DIY demonstrations will teach the essential food crafting techniques—a mixture of show, tell, and taste. Come learn from some of DC’s best culinarians!

DIY Salon Schedule
11:00am DIY Salon Introduction by Michael Schaffer, Editor, Washington City Paper
11:05am Barry Koslow, Bread and Butter Pickles
11:25am Thomas Schneider, Sub-Irrigated Planter
11:50am Robb Duncan, Pistachio Cardamom Gelato
12:15pm Bev Eggleston, Divine Swine Bacon
12:40pm Gina Chersevani, The Red Rooster
1:05pm Peter Smith, DC’s Best Half Smoke
1:30pm Derek Brown, The Cider Press
1:55pm Jeremy Brosowsky, The Science of Compost

After the DIY Salon presenters, the craftiest preservers, picklers, and brewers will be judged in the Crafty Food Awards powered by DC State Fair. Winners will receive trophies and entrance into next year’s nationally acclaimed Good Food Awards!

Crafty Food Awards Schedule
3:00pm Introduction of Awards and Judges by David and Nycci Nellis, Foodie and the Beast
3:10pm Food Awards Judging with Nic Jammet, Nicholas Stefanelli, Richie Brandenburg, Daniel Fromson, and Chris Shott
3:35pm Trophy Ceremony

Lots of shaded seating is available on the Crafty Farm, perfect for anyone grabbing some eats from the Young & Hungry Food Court or Crafty Food Market (and DC State Fair vendor Whisked!, a DC-based artisan bakery). You can also park your bike at the free Bicycle Valet provided by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (located near the California Street entrance on the field).

Head on over to the contest entry page and get your pie and/or cupcake judged among the best home bakers in DC! The deadline to enter is Thursday at midnight, so enter soon–and remember, you can enter up to two entries in each category, so bake your heart away!

DC State Fair will definitely still have need of volunteers at our rescheduled place-n-date.

If you (or your friends, colleagues, neighbors, or relatives) are available for any of the 9 to 11, 11 to 1, 1 to 3, or 3 to 5 shifts, please e-mail your preferred shift(s) to kenneth@thedcstatefair.org. Roles include Information (speaking with visitors; helping direct contestants, volunteers, vendors, and passers-by; collecting donations; being the friendly face of DC State Fair at the front table), Registration (collecting entries and entry fees, if necessary; assigning numbers to contestants and entries; ensuring all entries have appropriate information), and Preparation (keeping the back area with all the entries organized and preparing entries for judging–perhaps even helping be a judge for the Baked Goods contests!). Roles will be determined on Saturday on an as-needed basis.

See you at the Fair!

If you have a few crafty skills up your sleeve, head over to the DC State Fair contests page and enter yourself into the Bike Accessory, Vegetable Sculpture, and DC Portrait contests!

Each contest entry with recycled components is eligible for a special prize. Any medium or technique may be used in the crafting of the Craft contest entries: Vegetable Sculptures may, for example, be sculptures of vegetables or sculpted vegetables. There are a ton of fun vegetable sculpture options: from crazy-ridiculous-artistic to simple-fun-with-the-kids, and even to suggestively inappropriate–and all are acceptable for the DC State Fair competition!

As are any type of home-crafted bicycle accessory–DIY bike lunch boxes, personalized grips, or for the knitters or crocheters out there, bike sweaters!

Friends, because of the unfortunate Hurricane Irene cancellation of Columbia Heights Day, DC State Fair had to reschedule. The DC community really showed incredible support for the Fair, suggesting new locations and alternatives, and community Festival organizers reached out with offers to host the event. Thanks to the wonderful community, DC State Fair is now going to be held at Crafty Bastards, an exhibition of local handmade crafts and arts run by Washington City Paper.

If you’ve already entered the Fair online, don’t worry–we have your entry logged, so just bring your entry by on October 1 (check the website for schedule details, which will be available soon). Crafty Bastards is expanding into showcasing craft foods, and DC State Fair will be powering the first-ever Crafty Food Awards in homebrew, pickles, and preserves. Deadlines to enter these contests has been extended to Tuesday, September 6, so get your entries in! The other DC State Fair contest entry forms for Baked Goods, Crafts, and Vegetables are re-opened with new deadlines and are available on our website.

Crafty Bastards has introduced a Crafty Food Market, where craft foodmakers (that’s you, DC State Fair contestants!) can sell their goods–but the deadline to get in is also September 6. DC State Fair will be held in the Crafty Food Market area, where there will also be a DIY space with guest presenters.

The event is on Saturday, October 1, from 10 AM to 5 PM at Marie Reed Elementary in Adams Morgan. Yes, this is a little late for some of the vegetable contests–the Tastiest Tomato will not be a contest at the Fair this year, but Longest, Heaviest, and Funkiest-Looking Vegetable are all still open for entry! Get your entries in for our Crafts, Baked Goods, and Vegetable contests by midnight on Thursday, September 29, to qualify! (And again, you picklers and jammers, the deadline to enter is September 6!)

Let’s all do anti-natural-disaster/Acts-Of-God dances on the Friday before the Fair, alright?