County Fair July 2015

[is_the_motion]

Good evening Milliways!

Last year I bounced off people the idea of having a county fair in Milliways, and people were keen, but then I didn't have time to actually do it. So I've just checked with Cam and got provisional agreement to have one this year in July.

This will NOT be a Scout event* and will be open to absolutely everyone no matter how scary and dangerous they are. It will most likely take place approximately 6-12th July.

Finer details nearer the time, but for anyone who wants to write out growing their produce in real time, now is the time IRL you would plant stuff for July, which is why I'm telling you now. (Absolutely not compulsory, feel free to just pitch up).

Competition categories will provisionally be 'Best' and 'Most Cracktastic'* of the following, entered by a description or picture.

Gardening - Carrot, Potato, Any Vegetable (including alien), Any Fruit
Craft - Needlecraft, Woodwork, Other
Baking, Best cocktail or similar?
Possibly a pet show if there is enough interest (MLP beauty contest?)
Open to suggestions!


Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Date clashes?


[*But will come with a lot of badge opportunities for Scouts that do want to take part
**Alien pesticides, rude vegetables, amazing growing failures, etc, all highly encouraged!]

Comments

[yakalskovich]

Hannibal is likely to enter for most cracktastic food something or other.

[is_the_motion]

That would be awesome. The rules would be 1. not people (which he doesn't in Milliways) and 2. Not poisonous (if not for human consumption must be labelled), other than that the floor is his!

[sunbaked_baker]

Sunshine: *cracks her knuckles and eyes the Best Baking ribbon*

[capture_eternity]

There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that she would win it -- so the best move would be to ask her to be a judge, and have everybody else compete for her seal of approval. Hannibal had better not decorate his entry with porcupine quills and bird skulls.

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae would love being the judge for the baking competition, but would definitely not be the judge Hannibal wants for a dish with porcupine quills, bird skulls, feathers, egg shells, butterflies, and other decorative bits of dead things.

Rae: *dry* Points for style, but before I try this... which parts of this are the dish, and which are the garnish, and which parts are just an elaborate and decorative metaphor?

[yakalskovich]

Hannibal will just have to create a dish that flies under her radar until she's tried it, if he knows she's judging, and the judging is anonymous...

[sunbaked_baker]

She would probably be better as baking judge rather than general "dish" judge, being a vegetarian. No reason to limit the field to vegetarian dishes, after all. Baking is... generally safe. >_>

[herr_bookman]

Sounds good to me! Autor will be planting spinach and strawberries tomorrow, but the latter won't fruit until next year. I'll see if he can grow something else as well.

[is_the_motion]

Spinach would certainly count as any other vegetable :)

I never grew strawberries from seed but sure you're right.

[herr_bookman]

He's not growing them from seed either, but I read that if you pinch all the blooms off the first year to make them fruit in the second, they'll be healthier for it.

[is_the_motion]

Huh, never tried that, I got loads last year.

[herr_bookman]

Maybe I'll just have them fruit this year. Hmmm... Thanks for the advice though!

[crazyfurries]

Y'know... melons are a time-honored summer county fair staple. Used to be contests for whoever breed the best-tasting melons way back in the day.

[herr_bookman]

I'll look into melons. He likes watermelon, but I don't know how hard they are to grow. Thanks for the suggestion!

[merryeccentricities]

*emerges from the void because I actually Know A potentially useful Thing*

Watermelons are ridiculously easy to grow, if you've got at all the right soil and climate. I've grown melon-bearing vines from the seeds that fell into the yard while eating. Autor's first tries might not be prize-winning in any designated melon festivals, but oh, he can totally have plants for the fair. Here, have a handy link!

I'd add that while I don't know how long Milliways Warm Weather lasts, around here (Central Texas) I've grown melons from May to October, so really, you can probably handwave them as being ready whenever necessary!

[herr_bookman]

Welcome back from the void! That link is incredibly useful, thank you! I'm not sure if he should plant them in March so they'll have enough time to mature before he fair. I'm not sure if March will be warm enough. In any case, thanks for the encouragement.

[is_the_motion]

We can totally do melons; they don't fruit in the UK in July but that doesn't stop you putting one in a greenhouse or the hot bay or just making stuff up.

If lots of people do melons it'll get its own category, if not it can go in 'any other'.

[crazyfurries]

Oh, there's also the Caribbean inlet. That is warm enough year-round as well, for growing watermelons.

[capture_eternity]

He could start work on the spargel and asparagus rows - it'll be too late for spargel in July, but the green asparagus might be at its very end of eatability & could compete.

[herr_bookman]

That's useful! Thanks for letting me know. He'll leave some asparagus to ripen.

[yakalskovich]

He can drink a little glass of good Rhine wine to Urq's memory if he wins in some category...

[herr_bookman]

Not more than a glass, or he'll get drunk!

[crazyfurries]

This sounds like solid-gold awesome. Tyler can work on his crafting abilities...

Adult!Tyler/Beauford will SO be working on his ice creams/ice treats for the county fair.

[is_the_motion]

That would be awesome! We'll probably have stalls but I'm not going to ask for volunteers this early, because people will forget or get other plans.

[crazyfurries]

Gives me an excuse to run a sort of '8 Ice treats, One Mad Scientist' plot with Beauford.