Tablesetting Contest, Year Two

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you might remember the Tablesetting Contest that Trevor entered for the first time at the county fair last year.  He was very eager to enter again this year and try to better the Honorable Mention that he earned for his bunny-themed tablesetting.  The feedback he got from the judge last year was that he should have written his menu by hand (vs. typing it) so that it was apparent he'd done the work himself.  So his priority this year was to make sure it was obvious that all work was his.  

I took Trevor to the fabric store.  He had absolutely no plan or theme in mind, so we wandered up and down the aisles until inspiration struck.  He found a green owl-print fabric that he loved and decided he'd do an owl-themed tablesetting.  We took out some scratch paper and started sketching, seated right there on the floor of the fabric store.  He wanted to use a wood-grain fabric as his background, with a round plate looking like a hole in the tree where an owl might live.  We bought the two fabrics and headed home.

We used the brown fabric to cover a board (he's not strong enough yet to use a staple gun, so that was my job) and cut the green fabric to make a napkin.  Then we made owl napkin rings. Trevor picked his best one and set it aside, then turned his attention to the rest of the tablescape.  He found his Ramona Owl and his button-eye owl to use as a table decorations, then made another owl from cardstock to hold his menu.

He chose a plate, silverware and a cup and practiced arranging them until the tablesetting was perfect.  On the big day, we headed to the fair for the live competition.  The children had 15 minutes to prepare their tablesetting.  The public was able to watch, but could not communicate with the kids as they worked.

 

Trevor finished before many of the others.  I snapped this picture from my front-row seat.

 

At the end of 15 minutes, the judging started.  The judges carefully inspected each entry, including reading the menus and making sure the table was set properly for the foods that would be served.  One by one, the children were called up to get participation ribbons.  Trevor and two others were not called!  Then the MC moved to Trevor's display... in third place, Trevor deRosier!

He was THRILLED with his giant white rosette.  He was so proud of himself and so excited that his tablesetting did so well.  He's already talking about plans for next year.  He's eligible to enter for two more years... with 4th place last year... and 3rd place this year.... well, you can imagine what I'm hoping will happen next year and the year after!

 

We stayed at the fair for another 7 hours or so.  Trevor reluctantly left his ribbon with the tablesetting while we enjoyed the rest of the fair, but when we packed up our things to go, he insisted on carrying the ribbon.  In fact, he held it up proudly all the way home.   

 

 Have I mentioned how much I love the county fair?