Crafting, baking, making: Share your talent at the Fowlerville Fair
FOWLERVILLE — Working on a new craft, recipe or hobby? Share your talent with the community during the Fowlerville Family Fair's returning Home Arts Competition.
The contest is back after a hiatus in 2023, and entries are sought through Monday, July 1. Anyone five or older can submit entries in hundreds of categories, called classes, from baking to floriculture to inventing to robotics to creative writing and beyond.
Judges will select the best works during the fair, awarding ribbons, small premiums and bragging rights.
This year's fair is set for July 22-27 at the Fowlerville Fairgrounds, 8800 W. Grand River Ave.
Organizer Dawn Bhajan said her "childhood fantasy" of one day taking over the program has come true in 2024. She was disappointed to learn the competition was cancelled last year, and decided to step up.
"We’re trying to bring it back in a big way," she told The Daily. "The home arts originated from basic life skills. We had to clothe ourselves, feed ourselves. ... It all ties back to heritage and history. What's better than passing on generational skills and knowledge?"
To beef up the program, organizers hope to line up live demonstrations during the fair.
"People can walk through and watch the home arts in action," Bhajan said.
They've also partnered up with the Southeastern Livingston County Recreation Authority to offer home arts classes to inspire locals. Bhajan said she hopes the classes will become "a year-round thing."
Cassie Showerman, a 38-year-old Fowlerville mom who homeschools, said it's important to "pass on those skills to the next generation."
"We see a growth in homeschooling and homesteading, and I'm seeing the community finding value in those things," Showerman, who won "Homemaker of the Year" in 2023, said. "People with a skillset can showcase what they're already doing at home."
She's working on perfecting a banana bread recipe for the fair.
Sue Balk, who's won ribbons for her photography at previous fairs, said it was "an ego boost" to win.
"It was also a way of seeing what other people did and improving my own works," Balk, 75, of Putnam Township, said.
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Learn more at fowlervillefamilyfair.com/fair/open-class. There is a limit of one entry per class and a $10 fee to enter up to 25 projects.
Questions can be directed to Bhajan at 810-923-4582.
— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Crafting, baking, making: Share your talent at the Fowlerville Fair
