LAKE COUNTY – Lake County Fair’s contest program is now open for entry, with a number of new contests offered for 2010.

The contests offer local residents the chance to show off their skills in their hobbies and professions, have their work compared to the work of their friends and neighbors, and win cash prizes for the results.

New contests in 2010 include an open rabbit show, a variety of baking contests using recipes published by the Fair, a contest for “recycled” art made from discarded goods, contests for honey, and an olive oil competition with variety of different olive oil classes.

In addition, the clothing and textiles competitions, which expanded in 2009 to their own building, also have a variety of new categories.

Fair industry professionals often talk about how special the contest programs at county fairs are. Many of the other activities at a fair can be found other places. Amusement parks and family fun centers offer rides, games, and food. Zoos, aquariums, and wild animal parks offer a glimpse at many exotic creatures.

Specialty festivals offer contests that are focused on one product or industry. Live music can be found in many places. But only the county fair offers such a huge diversity of contests that just about everyone can participate in something.

Lake County Fair offered contests in 2,265 classes in 2009, a number which has grown slightly in 2010.

More than $40,000 in prize monies are offered each year, with around 40 percent of that amount actually being won in any given year.

Prize winners took home $16,800.70 in total cash prizes in 2009, an increase of more than 6.5 percent over 2008.

Contests are divided into various categories depending upon the types of items to be exhibited, starting with departments, then divisions, and then classes of goods.

Departments include flowers and plants, fine arts and photography, home arts, agriculture and horticulture, livestock, and horses.

As an example, the agriculture department has a division for vine crops, which further breaks down into twenty classes for different types of cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and squash. Every class represents a unique contest.

Lake County Fair prints a contest handbook, with details of all departments, divisions and classes, along with all of the rules for entering and the prizes available.

The contest handbook is available from more than twenty outlets around Lake County, and also is available on the fair’s Web site at www.lakecountyfair.com.

Actual entry forms must be filled out online, with the information deposited directly into the contest database. The forms must then be printed and signed. The signed entry forms and payment of entry fees will be accepted anytime in June or July, but must be received before Aug. 13 at 6 p.m.

Contestants can access the entry forms from any computer with Internet access at the fair's Web site, www.lakecountyfair.com. A high speed Internet connection is required.

Computers are available in a variety of places, including schools, libraries, and the fairgrounds office. Fairgrounds staff will be happy to assist contestants who visit the fairgrounds office during regular business hours. Contestants are well advised to avoid the last minute rush and get their entries completed early.

Most classes at the Lake County Fair require an entry fee, usually from $1 to $3, although some classes are free to enter and others cost a bit more, usually in classes where the prize monies are greater as well.

Contestants paid a total of $10,773 in entry fees in 2009. Obviously, these fees don’t cover the costs of the cash prizes, never mind the costs of judges, clerks, ribbons, trophies, and all the other things that go into putting on the contests. But hopefully, the contestants bring their families and friends to visit the Lake County Fair to see if they’ve won a prize, and help to offset all those other costs when they buy admission tickets.

Judges for contests at the Lake County Fair are chosen for their expertise in a given subject, and come from outside of Lake County to provide impartiality.

There are no guidelines for how often a judge may return to the fair, but Lake County Fair tries to follow a policy of a maximum of two years in a row for any given judge. County fairs work together, circulating their lists of judges and giving each other feedback about any given judge.

The Lake County Fair also accepts recommendations from exhibitors, other judges, and the public in order to find and secure judges for all the classes at the fair.

The Lake County Fair Board has chosen "Fun for the Whole Herd!" for the theme of the 2010 Fair. The Lake County Fair traditionally occurs Labor Day weekend each year at the fairgrounds in Lakeport.

The 2010 fair dates are Sept. 2 through Sept. 5. More than 37,000 people visit the Lake County Fair each year. For more information please call the fair office at 263-6181, or visit the Fair on the Internet at www.lakecountyfair.com.