Okeechobee County sealUniversity of Florida Extension ServiceUF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail: okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu  

2011 Okeechobee Fair Horticulture Contest Winners  

Quick Links:    horticulture results  vegetable results   photos

Rebecca Corby proudly displays two blue ribbons earned at the 2011 Okeechobee County Fair.  She earned top youth honors in the largest vegetable contest and earned the blue ribbon for the best youth individual vegetable exhibit.  Photo: Dan Culbert, UF/IFAS

The number of plant exhibits continues to grow at the Okeechobee County Fair with 10 exhibitors entering various vegetables and 16 persons entering this year’s horticulture exhibits.

Andrew King earned two blue ribbon entries among the youth ornamental plant exhibits, while Larry Trent won three blue ribbons for his adult horticulture exhibits. A new class was added at the last minute to accommodate youth growing hanging basket gardens.  Roxy Wright earned a blue ribbon for her three tiered garden of vegetables and ornamentals.  Master Gardener Nancy Vaughn taught these youth exhibitors how to modify their classroom’s “Wall of Vegetables.”

Vegetable exhibits were popular at this year’s Fair. Rebecca Corby  was one of the top youth exhibitors, earning top honors for her bell pepper in the largest vegetable contest and a blue ribbon for her plate of sugar snap peas.   Kathleen Shatto’s 7 ¾ pound red cabbage was the largest adult vegetable entry this year, and she broke the 2009 county record for the biggest cabbage grown in Okeechobee.   John Allen set a new record for the largest county onion, and new records were also established for lettuce (by Joey Allen) and Turnip (by Jesse Hoffner.)

Visitors to the fair are encouraged to stop by the new exhibit tent and view these entries as well as the many other creative crafts on display at the 2011 Okeechobee Fair.  Fairgoers are also urged to stop by the UF/IFAS Extension Service booth and pickup a copy of a community survey available at their booth.  Results of the survey will help plan Extension programs for the next ten years – so community input is very important.

A complete list of the winners and photos are included below.  

 

2011 Okeechobee Fair -  Horticulture Exhibits

Class*

youth

adult

Flowering plants

1. Andrew King  - Cosmos

1. Larry Trent - impatiens

Foliage plants

1. Andrew King  - Iron Cross Begonia

1. Larry Trent – Spider plant

Ferns

 

1. Larry Trent – Boston Fern

2.Shirley Blalock – Staghorn fern

Orchids

 

1. Sue Blackburn -  Phalaenopsis

2. Sharm Buck - Cattleya

Cactus

 

1. Sue Blackburn – fuzzy Opuntia

Vegetable seedlings or transplants

1. Gavin Driggers - Cabbage

1. Shelby Summer – Strawberry

2. Hannah Wood – Peanut

2. David Daniel – Cilantro

2. Chance Dean – Tomato

2. Joey Allen – Lettuce

3. Andrew King – Cucumber

[David Daniel – cabbage]

1. Jill Allen – tomato

2. Sue Blackburn – Eggplant

3. Larry Trent – tomato seedlings

New class:

Hanging Basket Garden

1. Roxy Wright – kalanchoe; lettuce & petunia; marigold & tomato

2. Taylor Boatwright

2. Joshua Rivera

2. Carly Ostavitz

 

                                    1 = Blue Award;                        2 = Red award;                         3 = White award  

 2011 Okeechobee Fair Vegetable Exhibits  

class

youth

adult

Largest Vegetable Contest

 

1. Rebecca Corby      bell pepper 4 oz. = 25.2 pts. 

1. Kathleen Shatto          Red Cabbage     

7# 12 oz. =  37.2 pts.* + 
2. Andrew King           radish  6 oz.= 10.2 pts. 2. John Allen, Jr.              Onion   1#   2 oz.=  32.4 pts.  * 
3. Joey Allen             lettuce   5 oz.= 9 pts.*  3. Larry Trent                    Green Cabbage  4#   6 oz.=  21.6 pts.
Rebecca Corby         lettuce   5 oz.= 9 pts.

4. Jessie Hoffner             Turnip                   (Purple top white globe) 

 2#   9 oz. =   16.4 pts.* 
    5. Jill Allen                       Carrot        4 oz. =      8 pts.

Market Basket: 

5 or more kinds of vegetables

1. Joey Allen  [spinach, potatoes, onion, radish, lettuce]

 

1. Jill Allen carrot, strawberry, onion, chard, romaine

2. Kay Bower potatoes, beans, cabbage, tomato, orange

3. Kathleen Shatto  broccoli, onion, red+green cabbage, 2x radishes, 4x lettuce, chard

Produce Plate: 

one kind of fruit or vegetable,

3 specimens

 

1. Rebecca Corby           sugar snap pea

2. John Allen                   leaf lettuce

3. Andrew King                radish

 

1. Sue Blackburn                          tomato

2. Jill Allen                                   swiss chard

3. John Allen Jr.                           onion

4. Kathleen Shatto                        beet

5. Larry Trent                                tomato

6. Jessie Hoffner                          turnip

Notes: Youth awards: 1 = Blue Award; 2 = Red award; 3 = White award   Adult awards:  1 = Blue Award; 2 = Red award; 3 = White award ; 4+ = participation 
  + = annual grand champion            *  = new county record for largest vegetable of that kind              List of County Vegetable Records

 

2011 Okeechobee Fair Horticulture and Vegetable Contest Photos  

  click on these thumbnail photos to open up full-sized pictures!

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Andrew King's youth horticulture entries included an Iron cross begonia (front) and flowering cosmos (rear) grown from seed. 

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A new class of Horticulture Exhibits were the hanging basket gardens which combined edible and ornamental plants using the Wall of Vegetables concept.

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Sue Blackburn's cactus (front) and orchid (L) Larry Trent's impatience and Boston fern (R) were all blue ribbon adult exhibits.

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Kathleen Shatto's Red cabbage weighed in at  7# 12 oz., the 2011 Grand Champion Largest county  vegetable.  

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Although Rebecca Corby's pepper (R) was overall youth champion largest vegetable, it is not a county record.  Joey Allen's Lettuce (L)[5 ozs.] however establishes a new county record.

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Sue Blackburn's tomatoes (bottom) were the best vegetable specimens; above is Jill Allen's second place swiss chard.

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Best Market Basket was produced by  Jill Allen, with carrots, strawberries, onions, chard, and romaine lettuce

Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service/IFAS/University of Florida, Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean. Last update: 03/21/2011.  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert