This beadwork mosaic took artist Connie Murry almost two months to complete.
Crowds gathered Wednesday evening as the Hempstead County Fair held a series of exhibits in the Coliseum at Hope Fair Park. A variety of award-winning crafts were on display from area artisans, ranging from horticulture to photography.
Jane Collums, who assisted in organizing the exhibits, said this marked over a decade of participation for her. She mostly does horticulture and canning, but enjoys seeing the variety of entries brought by the community. She said that, while more entries have been on display in the past, the pandemic dampened the fair last year.
One entrant, Connie Murry of Emmet, won multiple ribbons for her bead art, quilting, and other projects. She said that this marked about 40 years of participation with her art, and that it’s mainly a hobby for her spare time. Two years ago, Murry said, her home burned down, taking several of her ribbons with it. Now, she enters her art in the fair and gives extra projects as gifts to family and friends.
Talea Spencer-Haltom, who entered several pieces in the exhibit, won her first Honorable Mention for a hand-made California King-sized pillow cover. The piece was quite large, but Spencer said she was unsure of exactly how much it weighed.
The fair continues Thursday at 4:00 p.m. with more exhibits on display and a livestock show beginning at 5:00 p.m. The Premium Sale will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Friday morning.
This California King-sized entry won Talea Spencer-Holtom her first Honorable Mention.
