The Great Pumpkin Scandal of 2011

Alaska is famous for the giant vegetables that grow here.  Each year at the State Fair, the pumpkin weigh-off is a very big deal.  The same with the cabbage weigh-off, but we'll just focus on the pumpkins for now.

A 1723 pound pumpkin (can you say HUGE?) was disqualified because of a tiny hole.  I really don't get this.  Why does a hole disqualify a pumpkin?  This was not adequately explained for me.  I guess pumpkin judging rules are quite severe.

The winning pumpkin was a mere 1287 pounds.  Still pretty unreal looking.  Not at all attractive in the traditional pumpkin sense.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

This is a photo of a completely different pumpkin, which weighed only 859 pounds.  I must have missed the bigger ones.  How could I??

If this tale really captivates you, you can read the full story here.

Farewell to the State Fair

Sorry I have not posted more during the State Fair, but let's just say that I was simply too tired to do much of anything else during the fair.  Here's a quick look at the few photos I had a chance to take.

I always like to go to the barn and visit the animals ... especially the goats since I've become auntie to Pricilla.

None of the goaties would look at me when I had the camera ready, but I did catch this adorable little goat head through the bars of its pen.

In the other part of the barn, the giant vegetables were on display.  This year, the 1101 pound pumpkin was the featured attraction.  A little creepy if you ask me.  Considering the short growing season in Alaska, we determined that one could actually have watched this thing get bigger, right before one's eyes.

Our days at the fair would not have been complete without visits to the Kaladi Brothers Coffee booth.  It is always staffed by fun and funny young people who tend to dress goofy and never fail to produce a smile.  Even when the coffee line is a mile long.

And a close up of the Barbie doll display.  My personal favorite is the Barbie with the coffee bean bikini.

Today, Carol & I will meet at the fairgrounds to complete the packing up.  Later, Rick will join us to do the harder work and tow our trailer back home.

We had a wonderful fair.  All of our new merchandise was well received and I've already placed a new order with Alaska Serigraphics for our next event at the end of this month -- Bad Girls of the North in Fairbanks!

In The Barn

I met some beautiful goats at the Alaska State Fair. I have a new found fascination with goats. They're adorable and they obviously have tremendous amounts of personality. Dearest Pricilla - please don't be jealous. You and your goat family at Happy Goats Farm will always be first in my heart, but these Alaskan goats were quite irresistible. These are all Nigerian Dwarf goats, just like Pricilla!


This little one is enjoying a bit of mama's milk.



This big guy (gal?) is trouble on the hoof, for sure. In this photo, he's (she's ?) trying to eat the Grand Champion ribbon that's hanging over his pen. The ribbon was obviously NOT for good behavior.


I'll close with this almost frightening photo of an award winning giant pumpkin. It weighed in at a whopping 594 pounds.