DOSWELL—From charcuterie boards to scarecrows, there are contests for all kinds of homemade creations at the 2024 State Fair of Virginia—and entry deadlines are right around the corner.

Themed “Where Home Grown Happens,” this year’s State Fair will be held Sept. 27 through Oct. 6 at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. Entries for both adult and youth creative and culinary arts, horticulture and field crops, and various livestock competitions are due in early September.

“Participating in a State Fair competition puts you right in the middle of the action,” said Sarah Jane Thomsen, the fair’s manager of agriculture education. “It’s the thread that runs through the entire fabric of what makes fairs enchanted.”

This year’s horticulture contest categories cover a wide range of homegrown hobbies, including dish gardens and terrariums, syrups and sauces, cut flowers and honey. Participants also can get creative in categories like the People’s Choice scarecrow contest, or craft functional planters out of old shoes, boots or other repurposed items. Entries are due Sept. 6 at midnight.

Entries for creative arts contests also are due Sept. 6, with school entries due Sept. 10. Crafters can vie for blue ribbons and bragging rights in divisions like duct tape creations, stained glass, handmade dolls, painting and drawing, woodcrafts and needlework. New adult categories include hunting and fishing mounts, and jewelry crafted with wildlife parts like antlers and feathers.

The deadline for entries in this year’s culinary contests is Sept. 13, and there are plenty of opportunities for creative cooking.

Three new food competitions are the Virginia Potatoes Recipe Contest, sponsored by Dublin Farms’ Virginia’s Finest Potatoes; the Virginia Home Grown Vegetable Casserole Contest, sponsored by the Bowling Green Community Farmers Market; and the Sabra Hummus Recipe Contest, sponsored by Sabra.

The Virginia Peanut Growers Association is sponsoring a “Grab & Go” peanut recipe competition, challenging contestants to create snacks—hot or cold, sweet or savory—using Virginia peanuts or peanut butter.

Dairy Days at the fair will feature a live grilled cheese judging on Sept. 29, sponsored by the Virginia State Dairyman’s Association, and a live charcuterie board contest on Oct. 2. Entrants will prepare their boards using at least six items that are grown or processed in Virginia.

Entries for dairy cattle shows are due Sept. 2. Plymouth Rock is a breed of chicken that will be part of this year’s poultry shows, with mailed entries due Sept. 6 and emailed entries due Sept. 13.

Competition guides are posted on the State Fair’s website, StateFairVa.org.

Media: Contact Thomsen at 804-994-2743.