Bacon, fast knitting, Lego contests coming to Kansas State Fair

Fast knitters, bacon cookers and Lego builders are being called to compete in new contests this year at the Kansas State Fair.

For the first time, contests will be held in the evening to allow people who work during the day a chance to compete. Those will be for best sunflower-seed dish and orange cake. And popular demand is bringing back the homemade ice cream contest, Susan Sankey of the fair’s competitive exhibits department said Wednesday.

The fair runs from Sept. 11 to 20, and the deadline for most contest entries is Aug. 15.

The 2015 fair theme — Fried N’ Joy — is being carried into the contests, including two quilting ones that are returning: Quilt on a Stick (quilt squares that are hand- or machine-quilted and displayed on paint sticks) and the Quilt Block Contest, in which entrants use the same kit to make a block that reflects the fair theme.

“It’s amazing that people can capture the spirit of the fair in that small space,” Sankey said. The blocks are then made into a State Fair Quilt that is auctioned off. The 2014 State Fair Quilt will be auctioned at 4 p.m. Sept. 19 in the arena.

The Fried N’ Joy theme also can be seen in the bacon contest, which will feature any dish made with bacon. The same any-dish-goes attitude will apply to the sunflower seed contest as well.

Two other new contests will be done on-site. One will give entrants an hour to build something out of Legos or building blocks; the size of the structures can be no larger than 15 inches high and wide. Three categories of entrants can compete: children ages 7 to 9, ages 10 to 12, and family/teams of two or three. Fairgoers can watch the competitions Sept. 19.

The other new on-site contest will be Fastest Needles in the West, on Sept. 16. Knitters will bring their own needles and yarn to knit an adult-size stocking cap. The winner will be based on speed and quality.

The homemade ice-cream contest was last held two years ago during the fair’s 100th-anniversary party, and people wanted to see it return, Sankey said. If the response is good this year, it could become a recurring contest, she said.

Also returning for a second year will be the Kansas Kids Got Talent live competition. Kids in two age groups — 4 to 11 and 12 to 17 — can audition via video through Aug. 7. Judges will narrow the field to the 20 best in each age group, and those entrants will be invited to live auditions.

For more information and entry forms on the contests, go to www.kansasstatefair.com.

This story was originally published June 25, 2015 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Bacon, fast knitting, Lego contests coming to Kansas State Fair."