Denim & Diamonds

"Denim & Diamonds," the opening-night party at the Unionville Community Fair, was lots of fun. As soon as I arrived I checked out how my entries fared (five ribbons, one of them blue) and texted my chicken-keeping pal to let her know how her eggs fared (three ribbons, one of them blue). Then I chatted with my Fair friends, browsed through the Silent Auction items and ate; the very good food was by Triple Fresh in Ercildoun.
Berta Rains, who until recently lived in Doe Run, won the Fair Volunteer of the Year award, an announcement that was greeted with a large and well-deserved round of applause. The award came as "a total shock" to her, and she said the Fair "is really all about community -- and that's my passion." The photo shows Berta with Barron "Boots" Hetherington from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

In the live auction, the biggest hit was the four dozen gourmet cupcakes made by Robin Mastrippolito of Embreeville. I bid on and won two dozen of them and then drove up the prize for the remainder by proclaiming how delicious they were!

(The other "big-ticket" items in the live auction were a tour of Baily's Dairy; a tour of New Bolton Center; an event at the Yellow House of Willowdale, with a gift certificate from Sovana Bistro; riding lessons at Laureleye Farm; a six-month membership to the Y; a painting of Abraham Lincoln by our Congressman, Joe Pitts; a gift certificate to the new Unionville ice-cream parlor; and Walt Disney World passes).
This is always a good party and I really wish more people would attend. I often hear that $100 is too steep for a party in a barn, but the money goes to great causes--and really, $100 is a bargain when you look at the ticket price for some other local fundraisers.