There are some retired folks who just want to sit in a recliner with the remote after spending more than 40 years working. The seniors whose work is displayed each year at the Mesa County Fair are not among that group.

Proud produce

Jim Witt, a retired high school German teacher, has exhibited his produce for the last three years and has the blue ribbons to prove it. His tomatoes and volunteer sunflowers bring home the blue without breaking a sweat.

“I go online and check the rules and procedures, [and] follow them starting when the plants come up,” Witt said.

He was inspired to enter produce into the contest while volunteering for a shift in the exhibit hall, something he continues to do each year.

Crafty quilts

Donna Hobson has made stunning quilts for almost half her life, and she’s taken a slew of ribbons home from the local fair.

“I can’t just sit,” she said. “I have to do something with my hands.”

That energy has enabled her to create more than 70 quilts over the years.

She started out with simple patchwork squares, but eventually tackled one with 1,600 variously sized pieces, all cut with scissors. She used to follow patterns she found in books and online, but now she would rather invent her own motifs.

These days Hobson’s favorite subjects are picture quilts, such as one featuring squares with boats, beaches and landmarks around San Diego, where one of her sons lives. She’s also sewn a Colorado quilt that features mountains, trout, streams, pine trees and flowers. In 1999, she made one she calls “Dawn of a New Day” to celebrate the millennium.

“It’s my peace quilt,” she said, voicing her hope for the world during trying times.

Hobson also enjoys making smaller pieces, such as holiday-themed table runners and wall hangings. Her Southwest quilts feature stylized images of kachinas and other local themes.

Fine photography

Photographer Bill Holstein has exhibited his work at the fair seven or eight times.

Holstein has exhibited in several galleries. His Red Chair series shows a child’s bright red rocking chair in different settings, including perched in a sunlit snowdrift outside a house almost buried by a storm.

He’s accumulated many ribbons at the fair for his work. Winning is nice, of course, but the ribbons aren’t his main motivation.

“The best part is the being able to show your work to other people and knowing that they enjoy [it],” he said.

Show your stuff

Do you can jams or decorate cakes? Do you sew or paint watercolors? If you have something to share, the Mesa County Fair will create a category to exhibit your work. The fair uses a Danish judging system, meaning entries are judged against the standard, not other items being exhibited. To enter your work at the 2017 Mesa County Fair, call 255-7107 or visit www.mesacountyfair.com for details. Preregistration deadline for Open Class entries is July 18.