A Blue Ribbon Day at the Fair

​August 25, 2014–I was delighted to be a Blue Ribbon Author at the state fair this year! The Alphabet Forest was started by author and illustrator Debra Frasier in 2010. It’s a spot at the fair that offers games and crafts relating to letters, words, and books. You could say it’s Midway for the Mind! A Minnesota author is featured each day of the fair. 

​My activity was based on my book, Baby Wants Mama. Since Baby is about a family sitting down to dinner at the end of a busy day, we made place mats, using fruits and veggies to stamp cool patterns. The kids had fun and I think a lot of the parents did too. How often do adults get the chance to play with food?

Here are some awesome-looking place mats (and proud kids).

Note Amy’s feet/wheels in pale pink. I believe those were made with key limes. The wheels on the bike were made with apples, and the sky was made with broccoli. Nice work!

​In the morning, Karen Henry Clark was my assistant. I wish we had gotten a picture of us together. Karen is the author of a lovely adoption fairy tale called Sweet Moon Baby; she was a Blue Ribbon Author at the state fair last year. Beth and Brenda were my afternoon assistants. They helped wash hands, pass out paper, and restock veggies.

By the end of my shift, the fruits and veggies weren’t smelling all that great. (I blame the cauliflower.) But I was so transfixed by the wonderful mix of colors that instead of tossing them in the trash, I brought them back home with me in my cooler and gave them another day in the sun.

(To the left you can see my beagle, Dorie, slinking away from the table. She’d just swiped a carrot.)


On my computer, the pictures looked so pretty as thumbnails that I took a screenshot to share with you. A feast for the eyes.

​And how about a blue ribbon for this celery rose!