The Mount Pleasant author of the Indoor Garden(er) blog has joined with two other D.C. bloggers to mastermind “the D.C. State Fair,” to be held Saturday, Columbia Heights Day, at Harriet Tubman Elementary Field, 11th and Kenyon Streets Northwest. The fair will feature sponsor exhibits and competitions such as “Tastiest Tomato.” Find out more at dcstatefair.wordpress.com.
Why start a state fair?
Part of it is because the community needs it. They need a place to showcase their talents, their ability at growing vegetables and brewing beer.
D.C.’s not a state. Why the name?
That’s a kind of tongue-in-cheek political wink. We don’t have any political leanings. But when you say “district fair,” it confuses people. When you say “state fair,” you know what it is.
Are you an expert pie baker or vegetable grower?
Both, actually. I’m the indoor gardener. My blog started as my indoor vegetable growing adventures. They’re less adventurous than one might hope. But I do have grapes and squash and corn.
What kind of contests will be at the fair?
We have two different types of tomato contest [biggest and smallest). We have biggest vegetable and biggest container-grown vegetable. We have the D.C. home brew contest. … We have the photography contest as well.
How many people do you expect will participate?
I don’t have the final numbers, but we already have 60 or 70 entries into our contests.
Do you expect to expand in the future?
In what direction? We do expect it to expand. It’s an annual event. First off, we need funnel cake. I don’t think we have funnel cake this year. … But there will be waffles, I think. – Liz Essley
