Even though I’m sure we will still experience some hot and humid weather, it feels like the fall season is biting at our heels. Most students are already roaming the halls of area schools and the Labor Day Weekend in my hometown means only one thing, the Canfield Fair! This year we’ll be celebrating its 175th year!

The smell of fresh, sugary cotton candy and the vinegar that tops the hand-cut french fries will soon waft in the air at the fairgrounds. Excited screams and laughter will be heard as riders enjoy the plunge down the Big Slide in an old potato sack to a white knuckle spin on the iconic Zipper ride. Once you enter the gate, there are many things to do, but the festivities for crafters, bakers, and other creative folks start weeks before opening day.

I remember walking briskly into the barn at the fair that housed the Domestic Arts and Crafts many years ago. I was anxious and hopeful to see if a prize would adorn the toasty, cinnamon-spiced zucchini bread I entered. There it was, a blue ribbon! I was proud and so was my mom.  It was her original recipe that she shared with me after I started baking for my own family. I can still picture us in her kitchen, the buzzing noise of her 70s yellow hand mixer, guiding me on how to make a flawless loaf of delicious bread.

Within a couple of years of acquiring my 1st fair blue ribbon, I earned another for strawberry jam! Mom taught me right. For many summers I stood by her side in her kitchen as she perfected the recipe. We spent the afternoon smashing many pints of fresh, ripe strawberries. At the end of the project, we would stand back and admire the glass jars filled with the bright red-colored jam standing in a straight line, like toy soldiers, on the kitchen counter. 

The Canfield Fair has been part of my end-of-summer celebration for as long as I can remember. If you attend this year, fully submerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of our glorious fair. Congratulations to those who entered your unique craft in hopes you’ll earn a ribbon. I’m crossing my fingers for you. Good luck!