[button color=”blue” size=”small” link=”http://bigtex.com/creativearts/handbook/” icon=”” target=”false”]2015 Creative Arts Handbook[/button]
For all you cooking and crafting enthusiasts and Fair fanatics – the wait is over, your official 2015 State Fair of Texas Creative Arts Competition Handbook has arrived! The State Fair is bringing you yet another year of top-notch competitions and chances to show off your creative side. Whether you’re new to the crafting world or you consider yourself a creative arts veteran, the State Fair offers a wide variety of contests for participants on both ends of the spectrum. From jewelry making to pickle canning, pie baking to holiday decorating, and leather crafting to printmaking, the Creative Arts Department has something for the inner artist in you.
With more than 1,100 categories in 12 different departments of pre-Fair contests, as well as daily competitions taking place during the Fair, amateurs and professionals of all ages have endless opportunities to demonstrate their creative skills. Contest categories include: art, ceramics, designer-craftsman, dolls, foods (canning), hobby collections, holiday corner, needlepoint and cross stitch, needlework and sewing, afghans, quilts, rugs and bedspreads, photography and scale modeling. Registration for the 2015 pre-Fair contests is under way, with a deadline of Friday, July 24 to submit entry forms and fees. Contestants have the option to submit their items via mail by July 24, or hand deliver items to the Creative Arts Building on August 14, 15 or 16 from 9 am to 5 pm. Only one entry per person may be submitted within each category. In the following weeks, entries will be judged and contestants will receive notification once the results are finalized. Entries that are awarded a ribbon will be on display during the 2015 State Fair of Texas, themed “Passport to Texas.”
On Sunday, September 20, the State Fair will hold its annual Chili Cook-Off, BBQ Cook-Off and Three-Pot Dutch Oven Cook-Off. The Grand Champion winners of each contest will receive a special Big Tex® trophy. In addition, the Three-Pot Dutch Oven Cook-Off winner will be eligible to compete in the 2016 International Dutch Oven Society’s World Championship Cook-Off in Sandy, Utah. Pre-registration for these events is requested, however entries will be accepted the day of the contests.
A quintessential element of the State Fair of Texas, the Creative Arts Building serves as a showcase for all the winning entries in each of the various competitions, as well as the location for daily contests throughout the run of the Fair. Contests range from “Southern Comfort Food” to “Speedy Dishes,” along with the “Great American Spam® Championship.” New in 2015 is “Honey, the Magic Ingredient,” a contest sponsored by the Texas Beekeepers Association that allows chefs to make any dish using honey. There is no need to pre-register for this group of contests, as participants can bring a completed entry form on the day of the contest. In line with this year’s theme of “Passport to Texas,” the Hobby Collections department has two new categories – Texas items and State Fair of Texas souvenir items. Because of last year’s successful event, the State Fair will once again host the National 4-H Food Challenge, where 4-H youth will compete to test their knowledge in both agriculture and cooking. Also returning from last year will be daily craft demos, where local artists in all disciplines share their expertise and demonstrate their skills in front of a live audience.
Due to popularity and limited space, the State Fair will hold a drawing on Friday, June 26 to choose the contestants for five additional on-site cooking contests during the Fair – the Ice Cream Freeze-Off, Pizza Cook-Off, the “Guess What’s Cooking” Contest sponsored by Central Market, the Red River Showdown Biscuit Cook-Off and the Cobbler Cook-Off. For a chance to be a contestant, the final date to submit a contest entry form is Monday, June 15.
For all contest details, download the 2015 “Passport to Texas” Creative Arts Competition Handbook at BigTex.com. New contests have been added, some previous ones have been combined or removed, in addition to other updates. The 2015 State Fair of Texas runs September 25 through October 18. Register now to showcase your creative skills!
[button color=”blue” size=”small” link=”http://bigtex.com/creativearts/handbook/” icon=”” target=”false”]2015 Creative Arts Handbook[/button]
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About the State Fair of Texas
Since its inception in 1886, the State Fair of Texas has celebrated all things Texan by promoting agriculture, education, and community involvement through quality entertainment in a family-friendly environment. The State Fair of Texas is a non-profit organization with all proceeds helping to preserve and improve Fair Park and underwrite museum, community and scholarship programs for inner city youth and students pursuing agricultural careers. The 2015 exposition runs September 25 through October 18 in Fair Park. Visit BigTex.com for more information.