Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 102nd annual Creston Valley Fall Fair is looking a little different this year: the weekend-long event of fall festivities will instead come in the form of a month-long photo campaign.
Residents are invited to participate in the fair’s “Show Us Your Best” free photography initiative, where they are welcome to capture and submit photos of everything from their garden to their livestock and more.
“It’s just a way for us to engage the community and bring each other together again,” said Rylee Collins, the secretary for the Creston Valley Fall Fair Association.
Collins emphasized that the campaign is not a contest, but rather a means of celebrating the community.
“The Fall Fair has never been about winning the prize money. That was always just a little bonus. I don’t think that’s any reason why anyone would submit an entry,” she said.
Photos can be submitted by messaging the Creston Fall Fair’s Facebook account, or by directly posting photos onto their Facebook page.
“We want it to be open to anyone, all ages. There’s no limit to how many photos you want to post. It’s purely by participation,” she said.
Gift certificates valued at $25 for local businesses will be randomly distributed to participants at the end of the month.
“It’s not going to be judged. It’s not a contest, but we thought that would be an incentive to get people to share their pictures with us,” she said.
In addition to livestock and gardens, other photo entries include home baking, crafts, woodwork and more.
“We want to simplify it. It’s just about participation. We don’t want a bunch of rules and regulations,” she said. “Just get it to us one way or another. If you want to give us a description, great. If not, that’s ok too.”
Collins added that she hopes that the campaign creates a sense of community pride.
“That’s always been what the Fall Fair is all about. I guess a little bit of agriculture awareness, although that’s not the main takeaway,” she said. “It’s just bringing us all back together — virtually — in one way or another.
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