Happy Spring Davis County!

I would like to share a TEACH-ME-HOW-TO THURSDAY tip that will help get you excited about gardening this year.  Not only do flowers provide a cheerful mood to your garden, they also attract beautiful insects and wildlife.  Seeing these stunning creatures in action is a special treat for adults and children, and it can be a refreshing break from the old T.V.

How to Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies into your garden:

Both hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to colorful flowers.   Hummingbirds are particularly attracted to the color red.  Some plants are better than others at attracting insects because some flowers have a more accessible shape and nectar quality that our garden friends are looking for.

Butterflies are attracted to sunny hot locations, and they also need a drink now and then.  Plant your flowers in a sunny site in your yard protected from strong winds, and make sure water puddles somewhere nearby.   They will also stick around longer if there is a continuous supply of nectar.

Photo provided by Alabama Cooperative Extension

Feeding Hummingbirds is a popular way attracts hummingbirds to an area where you can watch them in action.  To make your own nectar at home, mix a feeding solution of four parts water to one part sugar by bringing water to a full boil and dissolving sugar in it. Cool and keep unused solution refrigerated.  Do not add red coloring to the solution. Red on the feeder will attract the birds. Change the solution at least every three days.  Clean the feeder frequently and thoroughly to prevent bacterial and fungal growth. Do not use honey instead of sugar, as it may harbor a fungus that is lethal to hummingbirds. Plastic bee guards are available for many feeders and help discourage bees and wasps at feeders.  Do not use insect sprays.

Plants that attract butterflies in Utah:

Flowers:

Phlox

Zinnia

Aster

Marigold

sweet William

coneflower

black-eyed Susan

larkspur

dandelion

thistle

morning glory

coreopsis

daisy

milkweed

purple ageratum

goldenrod

Shrubs:

indigo bush

 butterfly bush

 honeysuckle

 mock orange

lilac

privet

 sumac

 viburnum

Plants that attract hummingbirds in Utah:

Flowers:

Allysum

Tiger lily,

Bee balm

Delphinium

Salvia Trees:

Scarlet lobelia

Shrubs and vines:

Butterfly bush

Siberian peashrub

Weigelia

Trumpet Vine

Honeysuckle

Photo provided by Oregon State University Extension

So, feel free to grow this beautiful plants and enter them in the fair! As a floral arrangement or in our own Horticulture/Floriculture division!

Good luck and enjoy the show!

Britney Hunter

Horticulture Extension Faculty

Utah State University

So, please come and join us on August 15-18, 2012! Here are a few highlights of the fair, that you won’t want to miss:

• lokalgrown – they are a GREAT band that also does game shows with the audience. You do NOT want to miss them! 8/15/12 6:00pm
• Yes Utah presents Katie Armiger, with opener Maddie Wilson- this will be an awesome concert, in our South Outdoor Arena. Both girls have amazing talent and are about to make it big! Go see them! Tickets are $8.50 per person, 8/16/12 7:30pm
• American Family Insurance Live Stingray Exhibit- an all-day, hands on exhibit featuring 6-8 stingrays! Have fun!
• Endless Summer- Beach Boys cover band… they will really take you back to Fairadise. ;) 8/18/12 6:00pm.

And of course admission is FREE! Parking is $5.00, or just $3.00 with a donation of two food items to our Chevron food drive. All donations benefit the Family Connection Center of Davis County!

So dust off your hula skirts, and get ready for some fun in the sun! We love you all and can’t wait to party with you in Fairadise!

♥♥♥

-M

Hobbies like these seem to be becoming more fashionable and in the spotlight. I think there is something nostalgic about an afghan or crocheted holiday ornaments that just reminds everyone of home and “the good ol’ days.” So, this week, I’m going to spotlight some crocheting tips and ideas that would be tons of fun to have in the fair!

In the Living Arts entries, there is a department for Yarn & Thread Arts. There is SO much that you can enter– blankets, accessories, clothing, household items, etc. My dream crocheted items would have to be a bear hat:

And these bad boys….

So, you wanna crochet or knit… where do you get started?! That’s a great question. For hobbies like this, I think the best way to learn, is to learn from a live person. If you have someone in your family or neighborhood who can rock the crochet hooks, I would bring them a plate of brownies and ask for some lessons.

Another great resource… the internet! As usual, the world wide web never lets me down. I would suggest finding tutorials with step by step photos, or make sure that you know the lingo so that you can follow pattern directions more easily.

The inspiration for this post actually came from my best friend and Davis County Fair lover, Miss Holly. I mentioned her mom earlier in this post, and like her mom, Holly is handy with her crochet hooks! She recently completed an awesome granny square blanket. I just love it! Bright colors, a fun pattern– that’s enough to inspire me!

She used a book called, “Granny Square Love” and she highly recommends it! Here are some links to her blog posts: Inspiration: Granny Square Love  and  Granny Square Blanket Expert Over Here .

And on that note… I found an easy granny square tutorial online! The cool thing about granny squares is you can make more than just blankets– a shawl, pillow case, decorations, etc. Give it a try! Click on the picture to follow the link!

There are so many fun things to make with yarn… click the pictures below to find out how to make these fun items! And by the way, craftpassion.com seems to be an awesome website!!

Keep up the good work! The fair theme will be announced SOON!

Megan

Did you know that one of the Living Arts entry categories is ORIGAMI?! When I was a kid, I had an origami book and I loved seeing what I could make… and laughed at what I couldn’t. Origami is a fun activity that you can do by yourself or with others. Also, in my research, I have discovered the origami can make a great gift, or give a special handmade touch to a gift. Stay tuned to see what I’m talking about…

First, the rules for origami in the fair? There are no set rules, but I would suggest making something unique, that will stand out among the paper cranes and single balloons. I found some great tutorials that are easy, but would make a great entry at the Davis County Fair!

Check out this great tutorial for an origami balloon garland. HELLO! This would be so cute at a party, or on display at the Davis County Fair. Thanks to http://www.frolic-blog.com for the great tutorial! Click HERE to make one for yourself!

Origami Balloon Garland/Lanterns!

Next up is origami paper boxes from Pinecone Camp! Now, don’t tell me this doesn’t make a truffle, necklace, or any other little gift even sweeter! Another fun idea… put another piece of origami inside! A frog, a shield, a flower– go ahead, SURPRISE ME! :) Click HERE to learn how to make this lovely box!

Origami Paper Boxes

Now, how about an origami flower bouquet? Gorgeous! This as an entry at the fair would definitely make a statement, and possibly garner you a blue ribbon! SWEET! Another idea with origami flowers, is to make an origami flower lei! Oh, the possibilities are endless! Thanks to http://www.capitolromance.com for this tutorial! Click HERE to start your own bouquet!

Origami Flower Bouquet

Here is another hand link to LOTS of ORIGAMI TUTORIALS!

So, I think you can already tell, there is something for EVERYONE at the fair, and we are only going to dig a little deeper in the coming Thursdays. Let us know how you feel about TEACH-ME-HOW-TO-THURSDAYS and what you want to see here!

HAPPY SPRING! 

M & the rest of the Davis County Fair Staff

The fastest growing department at the Davis County Fair is Photography, a division of the Living Arts Department. Photography is all the rage! Programs from Instagram to Picknik have made the average joe feel like a pro photography. Well, why not take it to the next level! Get out there and start capturing memories, beauty, and more. The fair is open to all different talent levels, from Junior Amateur to Advanced. People from 8 to 98 are welcome to join in the exhibit fun. 

Here are some great tips and ways to up the ante on your photography skills and grow your hobby into a marketable skill. 

Isn’t the internet amazing?! You can pretty much find anything, at anytime. I found a few blogs that have great photography tips that can speak to a more experienced photographer and to someone who is starting out fresh. 

The first bit of advice comes from http://www.centsationalgirl.com. Click on the picture below to follow the specific link to the photography fun. This page shows all of her posts that have photography tagged in them. You can learn more about choosing a good camera, taking magazine quality pictures, and more. 

This second post, from http://www.beckyearlphotography.com, has very approachable tips and techniques that anyone can start putting into practice today. I thought the layout of this post was very helpful– you can see how her techniques really do make a difference in the pictures she posts. Click on the picture below– I think you guys will like this one! 

And guess what?! We even have more help that is closer to home. Doug Sims, of www.simspix.com fame, is on our Fair Board! We are lucky ducks, I tell ya. He has a photography club, called Photographix, which is FREE!!! Yup, FREE. This club is dedicated to helping photographers learn, grow, and network. They offer workshops and other get togethers throughout the year. Members of this club also help us out with photography during the fair. We get some AWESOME pictures thanks to these guys and gals. 

Through these Teach-Me-How-To Thursdays posts, we are trying to encourage more people to participate in the entries and exhibits portion of the fair. Their is money to be won and ribbons to be had! Here are the photography categories you can enter in: 

1. Animals/Pets [Domestic]
2. Close-up/Macro
3. Flowers
4. Human Interest [Tells a story or evokes an emotion}
5. Portraiture [Formal, Candid, Wedding, etc.] 
6. Scenic/Landscape
7. Sports/Action
8. Wildlife [In the wild or captivity]
9. Creative / Artistic
10. Unclassified [Does not fit any other category]

So, pretty much ANYTHING! Follow your heart’s desire and start snapping away. If you want to share some pics early, go ahead and post them on our Facebook page! 

The entry directions and forms will be posted in May 2012 at www.davisfair.com. 

SAY CHEESE!!!! 

Thanks for the love! 

-Megan and the Davis County Fair Board

This year, we want to use social media to help teach people more about these individual possibilities. Getting started on a new hobby can be overwhelming. Where do I start if I want to learn how to crochet? What in the world is Photoshop? How can I grow a pumpkin as big as my 5 year-old? Well, here comes the Davis County Fair, to the RESCUE!

Every Thursday, we will post new tips or tutorials on how to participate in one of our open classes at the fair. It will be easy, quick, and incredibly helpful. What more could you ask for!

So, we hope you join us, and take time at the fair to visit the Exhibit buildings. We have some GREAT additions this year, including a stage where we will be holding demonstrations and other activities throughout the fair. Apple Tree & Apple Village is sponsoring special prizes for the Senior entries, and we are even adding a multi-generational class.

This could be you...

Not only is the fair a great place for entertainment and fun, but it’s a great way to connect with your community and discover talents you didn’t know you had!

Stay tuned for some how-to sweetness every Thursday!

Keepin’ It Real,

Megan

We are getting into full “get ready” mode over here at the Legacy Events Center! Well, at least I am!

Just today we posted the 2012 Entertainment Application at www.davisfair.com! Last year was our first time having potential entertainers fill out an application, and it worked so well! We had a great response, which led to tough choices for us, but it was all worth it in the end. We had tons of great, local entertainers on our stage and grounds. We are all about celebrating Davis County (as if you couldn’t tell!), and having an Entertainment Application helps us do just that.

Click here to print the application!

If you yearn to share your talents with the world, the Davis County Fair is a great place to get started! I had a lot of musicians apply last year, but we are also interested in dancers, magicians, comedians, etc.

And, due to a lower budget, lower fees are appreciated!

Speaking of the budget… do not fear! We have all been a little nervous, wondering, “How can we top Viva Las Davis?” And then our budget got cut, as I’m sure happened everywhere. My goal is to make sure that no one even notices that the budget got cut– we will still have high quality entertainment, and plenty of it. We’ve had to get a little creative and better at negotiating, and we’re all the better for it. :) So, what do we say to the economy… “I accept this challenge!”

Hehe...

So, are we going to be able to top 2011? YOU BET WE ARE! And come along for the ride! We have a lot of great attractions in the works, and can’t wait to share them with all of you! So, please feel free to leave feedback on this blog, on our Facebook, on our Twitter, or through email (mhatch@daviscountyfair.gov)! We ARE listening!

Best wishes for a FABULOUS 2012!

Mad Love,

M

P.S. Coming soon… VENDOR APPLICATIONS!

Love,

The Davis County Fair/Legacy Events Center Staff

Legacy Events Center 2011

2011 was a SMASHING SUCCESS! And I hope you all don’t while I gush with pride. Here are some highlights:

• Increased paid parked cars by 1,500! This is easily an additional 3,000 guests at the fair!
• Increased vendor revenue by 30.7%!
• Decreased fair book/brochure spending by 76%!

But guess what?! The fair will be here next Wednesday, AUGUST 17TH!!!

We can’t wait to see you– I really think that this year is going to be great! We have great free entertainment, lots of great volunteers, super sponsors… set up is going swimmingly! It’s almost too easy this year… we hope we aren’t forgetting anything big!

Stay tuned for more fair fun… this blog ain’t seen the last of me. :)

~M