Open Class exhibitors total 340 at 100th PC Fair

The number of exhibitors at the 100th Phillips County Fair was 100 more than a year ago and paid out nearly $1,000 more than the 99th.

"A total of 91 of the exhibitors are new this year," Joy Linn said. "We expected to be up this year since this was the 100th. We are very happy with the turnout."

Linn attributed the large increase in the new exhibitors to an influx of Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, Malta Extension participants taking part in this year's Open Class categories.

"I would say a good third, if not more, of the new entries are from the Boys and Girls Club," Linn added. "That has made a big impact. They don't enter a lot (of entries) but there are a lot of them (contestants.)"

The exhibitors receiving the most premium money at this year's fair were Loretta Mange earning $177 with 53 entries placed, Emma Ereaux with $173 with 48 entries placed and Rose Teske $172 with 64 entries placed.

"We are very happy with the open class," Linn said. "But people need to take a look at the Premium List because there is still a lot of money offered that people don't take advantage of."

This year, there was a total of $17,406 in premiums offered and $5,269 paid out (or 30.27-percent.) The total paid was up from last year -- $4,674 – and Linn said that anyone with suggestions to get more people involved with the open class should contact her or Linda Miller.

"We are one of the higher paying fairs as far as premiums go," Linn said. "At other fairs you have to pay to enter stuff in the fair, but not at the Phillips County Fair. Other fairs are seeing their entries go down each year while ours continue to go up."

Linn said that one area that is growing in popularity each year at the Phillips County Fair is the Needlework-Art-Hobbies competitions. This year the total number of entries judged in those subcategories totaled 654 – the second highest was Grain-Grass-Vegetable-Fruit with 346 entries judged. One subcategory in the Needlework-Art-Hobbies competitions that could see some changes at the 101st Phillips County Fair is in adult photography, according to Linn.

"We have about four or five really good photographers in the county and they get all the ribbons," Linn said. "I would kind of like to start a more advanced category and have those guys in that and then a new amateur category for others. Everybody loves to take pictures and it is very popular at the fair. So we are thinking of adding another class so more people can participate."

Of the seven categories of Open Class competitions, six saw an increase in entries judged versus the 2014 Fair (corresponding numbers follow below.)

See the Phillips County Fair Cook Book story next week in the Phillips County News.