The Williamson County Youth Fair took place on Jan 12 – 13 at the San Gabriel Park Community Center in Georgetown. At the competition, sophomore Wynne McDonald managed to snag the prize for best in show in the horticulture category with her aquatic themed dish garden. Youth Fair is a competition in which student can enter items from many categories to try to win their way to the auction in which the winning pieces are often sold for large sums of money.

“I was very surprised by how I placed,” McDonald said. “I was just entering for fun and figured there would be so many other people entering there was no way I would win. I had no expectation to do that good, but I sure am happy that I did.”

She will be taking her aquatic themed dish garden, a ceramic bowl with succulents and  other small plants growing in it, to the auction on Jan. 24 and is looking forward to selling her piece.

“I’m just excited it got this far,” McDonald said. “I’m not sure what to expect at the auction, but I hope I get at least enough money to pay for the cost it took to make my fish garden and maybe some to put towards my next arrangement.”

Another student who entered the Youth Fair is sophomore Kara Diclemente. She earned second place with a ceramic bottle she made, as well as fourth and seventh place with some photos she entered in the photography section.

“I entered one piece into the sculpture category,” Diclemente said. “It was a ceramic bottle I made and spray painted with a dark tan paint and made some cutouts in. I also entered three photos in the photography section, one was a leaf in the sun, another was a spider and one was a rose.”

The event was a  chance for students to get crafty and show their creative side. The categories ranged from baked goods to agriculture equipment to sewn clothing. There was a category for everyone, though creative crafts seemed to be a favorite.

“I made a horseshoe mason jar chandelier, and placed first in my class,” junior Mackenzie Keefer said.  “I entered the show because I thought it would be a great experience, and I was glad with how I placed because I put so much work into my project.”