Juried Exhibits Invite To ‘Remember When’

By CATHERINE ELLERTON

Moapa Valley Progress

There was a spot for just about any creative creation in the juried exhibit at the Clark County Fair this year. And the clever people of Clark County filled those spots with amazing works of innovation, effort and design. From needlework to quilting, drawing to painting, arranging flowers to growing vegetables – and much, much more – it was all on display in the Fine Arts Building at the Fair.

Walking into the building one was greeted by the theme quilt urging you to “Remember When” as you begin your journey through the maze of captured moments in time and the beauty of nature. This beautiful quilt with blocks of remembered moments as old phones, cars, loved ones, was created by Robin Maughan, the Director of the Fine Arts Building.

Scores of other glorious quilt entries, with their intricate patterns and colorful designs, were hung high overhead drawing one into the textile area of the building. Here was a myriad of sewn, crotcheted and knitted items ranging from jackets to dresses to pillows. Two small owls peak from behind timidly announcing their Judges Choice Youth award for Faith Kelly. A magnificently detailed needlepoint work of a landscape with a tree by Lyn Thompson deservedly won the Best of Show, Champion and Best of Class ribbons.

High overhead was the Judges Choice Adult Quilt Award which sported memory blocks of local athletes, scouts and lifeguards sewn by Luann Mortensen. While a charming Apache Style Child’s Dress sewn by Dawna Jolliff of Las Vegas sported the Judges Choice Youth award.

In the photography section the Judges Choice Youth award went to a picture of a log cabin and door. Intriguing. . .what does the door signify?. . . what is behind that door? One could spend hours scanning these photographs wondering what the story was that had been captured in that moment.

In the Fine Arts section were many interesting drawings by grade school artists from Bowler Elementary School and other schools in the region. One intriguing entry category of these young artists was ½ photograph and ½ pencil drawing self portrait of each artist’s face.

But, wait, what was that? That enticing aroma – Ahhhhh! The food section! There was a carrot cake that was decorated to look like a rabbit and a burnt marshmallow cake where on the top were the flames. Perhaps a S’more’s Fire? There was gluten free edible cookie dough!

The Best of Show, Champion and Judges Choice Youth awards went to the Gifford family of Logandale for their Pumpkin Bars.

Barbara Adams, the Fine Arts Security Guard, and I got into a long discussion that there should either be a tasting section or maybe recipes made available for those mouth-watering exhibits.

Wandering on, the viewer came upon the Youth Science Area – always a very popular and fascinating spot. Where do these young scientists come up with these ideas? There were so many different experiments satisfying so many areas of curiosity and answering so many questions.

“Which Toilet Paper Is Stronger?” This experiment gained a Youth Judges Choice award for Emery Johnson of Bowler Elementary School. He added pennies on top of toilet paper stretched over a glass to come to his conclusion. Clever! Oh, yes – Cottonelle.

Eustalia Cortez was given a Class Act Award for “Floating Eggs.” One puts an egg in a glass of water and keeps adding salt until the egg floats.

Evan Jones of Bowler decided to answer the question once and for all: “What liquid makes your teeth decay fastest?” His conclusion was – vinegar.

In the Horticultural exhibit, one could view the many flowers and vegetables that can be grown in the desert. On display were a long list of successes, from broccoli to tomatoes to roses to orchids. These amazing exhibits drew the visitor in oohing and awing all the way.

Some absolutely fantastic looking lemons won Greg Kulnd the Best of Class and Directors Choice Awards.

In the Container Garden section the winner of Best of Class was a unique red wagon with a farmyard inside the bed titled “You Can’t Ride In My Red Wagon.” Makenna Samana of North Las Vegas was the creator.

I was especially drawn to a large vase full of Red Yucca Flowers. Greg Klund of Henderson was the winner of the Best of Class and Second Best of Class Awards. Greg stated that the Fine Arts Building is his favorite spot at the fair. He also brings vegetables grown by the students at the Coronado High School Special Education Class in Henderson.

The Las Vegas Master Gardeners sponsored a booth in the Horticulture area. Here they provide a wealth of knowledge about Irrigation Systems and various plants and how to grow them. They also give free demonstrations and talks on gardening in the desert which include ‘Starting A Worm Farm” and the “Benefit of Wood Chips.”

As I prepared to leave this amazing building and all it held, I was drawn to and humbled by a sign in The Country Store, with a quote attributed to Mother Teresa: “If You Want To Change The World, Go Home and Love Your Family.”