43
Canfield Fair mascot gets ‘re-roostered’
2010 Canfield Fair
Gallery
- 164th Canfield Fair
-
- More for Lesses
- Digital cameras increase entries
- SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Through Monday
- King, queen credit 4-H for skills
- Family man cuts ribbon to open fair
- Memorable ride
- Gretchen Wilson will get the party started
- Dierks Bentley takes risk on bluegrass-flavored CD
- His peppers are bigger than life
- Fair Digest || Alternate fair routes
- Health board inspects all the food at the fair
- Ride Safety Division at Canfield Fair
By Elise Franco
Canfield
The rooster is the face of The Canfield Fair, and who’s better to bring style and creativity to that rooster than the fair-goers themselves?
Each year a theme is chosen for the Rooster at Large contest, and this year’s theme was “Green Rooster,” said Marcy Applegate, Fine Arts superintendent.
Applegate said entries had to be made of recycled material.
“Recycling is just so important, and it seems to be out there and in your face,” she said. “We’re about teaching the community these important things.”
Applegate said 13 people entered roosters this year, up from eight entries last year, and all of them were fun and creative.
“We got such a wide range of materials used with this theme. Some had metal scraps, newspapers, plastic bags, old wrapping paper,” she said.
Dorothy Leonard, of the West Side Community Center in Youngstown, said two groups of kids each entered a rooster in the contest.
“We had a recycling program all year,” Leonard said. “I really liked the theme, and the kids did really well with it.”
Applegate said the winning rooster, by Susan Dexter, of New Castle, Pa., was chosen because of its simplicity.
Dexter said her rooster was truly recycled because she used her entry from last year and covered it in recycled materials — the metal framed body is covered in strips of newspaper and the face is silk flower petals that came out of flower arrangements.
“He is the only rooster in the competition that is completely ‘re-roostered,’ Dexter said. “This is a stay-mobile. It hangs, but it’s stationary, too.”
Dexter said she never thought she’d win, especially after seeing how great the other roosters looked.
“I was just expecting to get him out of the garden shed,” she said, laughing. “I was surprised and pleased and a bit overwhelmed because one of my paintings took Best In Show.”
Dexter said she enjoyed this year’s theme.
“It’s important to show people that art can be made from recycled materials,” she said.
“It’s an amazing competition that encourages us to stretch and try other things.”
Applegate said the response to the theme was so impressive that they may keep it for a few years.
“It’s the most entries we’ve had,” she said. “Often, when we have a theme like this that is such a hot topic, people get excited to participate.”