Local gardeners win big at Schuylkill Fair

The Lewistown Valley Garden Club was well represented at the 2018 Schuylkill County Fair, with members coming home with dozens of ribbons and three Best of Show Awards.

Mary Bridygham has been entering the fair for each of the 35 years of its existence. This year, she had 30 entries and brought home ribbons for most of them, including a first place and Best of Show for a quilt she crafted and entered in the Needlework category.

She also was awarded first-place ribbons in that category for a second quilt, an afghan and a cushion.

Her other entries were in categories related to gardening, with blue first-place ribbons for a butterfly plant, a mixed vase arrangement, lemon marigolds and geraniums. Second-place ribbons were won with her coleus, ferns, blueberries, African orange marigolds, pansies, orange marigolds, three bloom daisy, Honesty arrangement, fair theme arrangement, chef arrangement, teacher arrangement, day lily and single stem hosta.

She took third place for a jade plant, single bloom petunias, flowering shrub, fever few, large gladiolus, round/square vase arrangement and grapevine swag.

The other two Best of Show awards were presented to Carol Kohn, who began showing at the fair five or six years ago.

Her arrangement in the kitchen colander category and a wreath she constructed also snagged first place ribbons in their respective categories. Kohn also brought home a first-place ribbon for her garlic; second-place ribbons in the water pitcher and fair theme categories; and a third-place ribbon for her cucumbers in the canned/dried products category.

Linda Leiby has been entering exhibits at the fair for about 14 years. She credits her late mother-in-law for her interest in the fair, saying “She’s the one who really got me involved.”

For a relative newcomer, she brought home ribbons galore. They included first-place prizes for green snap beans, yellow wax beans, domestic cabbage, pickling cucumbers, hot peppers, sweet green peppers, other peppers and straight neck squash.

She earned second place for her sweet banana peppers, a single bloom dahlia and an apron she entered in the needlecraft sewing division. Third-place ribbons were won for her parsley, sunflower, pansies, double bloom petunias and an entry in the any other annual bloom category.

Judy Kellner took home five ribbons for her floral arrangements, including first place in the round/square vase and fair theme categories; second place for a kitchen colander; and third place in the water pitcher and patriotic wreath competitions. She has been entering the fair for the last 15 years.

Bridygham’s winning quilts and Kohn’s wreath were displayed at Tuesday’s meeting of the garden club, where Kohn presented a program on water conservation.

In addition to being a member of the local club, she is also a Penn State Master Gardener.

The club meets the fourth Tuesday of every month in the social hall at Zion Church of the Lewistown Valley, located near the intersection of Valley and Catawissa roads.

New members are always welcome.

For more information about the club, or to join, call 570-386-4783 or 570-467-3400.