Seed Show Generates Ribbons, Rosettes, and Memories

The 70th Annual Montana Seed Show is in the books, and paging back, one might recall an event rich in breads and pies and quilts and art. Others will remember the meals, auctions, and entertainment provided by Party Rock Project. The three-day event also featured vendors with wares or services to sell, as well as craftsmen, artisans, and Ag exhibits.

For the 27th year, the Nimble Thimble Quilt Show took place on both March 15 and 16 in the Harlem High School Band Room. At the entrance to the band room, Seed Show visitors encountered silent auction items made by members of the Guild from Harlem, Hogeland and Turner. Just inside, Loretta Buck invited visitors to view the quilts and to engage with them on a Scavenger Hunt. Guests searched for ten different items, including a dog riding a scooter, a 4-H symbol, Santa's Beard, and a purple chicken. They also had the option of purchasing a ticket to vote for their favorite quilt in a People's Choice Award. When all the votes were counted late afternoon on Saturday, they revealed that Barb Sather of Harlem had won the favor of the people.

Barb Sather also won the Guild Choice First Place Award with her quilt "Summer Dream." The star design with diamond points of light set against swirling lavenders and oranges with an occasional glimpse of blue is a Jacqueline de Jonge pattern that was quilted by Tiffany Barkus.

Second place was awarded to Sharon Goodrich of Hogeland. About her quilt, she stated that her daughter Shari gave her the pattern and some fabric to get started. Goodrich then purchased pre-cut applique and worked from there to create her quilt, which took a couple of years to complete.

Turner quilter Joyce Van Voast took Guild Choice Third Place with her quilted tree skirt. After using holiday themed colors, gold accents, and imagery that included poinsettias, she gave the finished creation to Clinton and Chateau Van Voast as a wedding gift.

In the Art Show Department, the Best of Show youth winner was Spencer See, a sophomore from Turner and a student of April Fox, who recently won accolades as 2019 Pacific Region Art Educator of the Year. See created a portrait by experimenting with negative space. In the Adult Division, watercolorist and potter Penny Strommen from Vandalia won the rosette for her watercolor painting, "Happy."

About her painting, Strommen explained what inspired her: "My husband Eliot and I go south to Scottsdale, Arizona, every year. While there, we often visit the Rusty Spur Saloon, the oldest of Scottsdale bars, as well as some of the art galleries and shops on Main Street. Main Street also features a cobblestone walk and a fountain. At the turn-around there, one night a minstrel was sitting on a bench by the fountain, playing guitar and singing. He seemed so happy and the memory was also happy, so I painted that minstrel and named the painting 'Happy.'"

Impressed with the level of community support the Seed Show receives and with the hard work and hours contributed by the committee members, Strommen felt both welcomed and appreciated in Harlem. "One of the services of the art show, I was told by a gentleman at the event, is to encourage youth and inspire them to become artists. When they see adults painting and drawing, it validates their own creativity," Strommen commented.

Superintendent of the Art Show and Auction, Jack Siemens explained that every year, the Seed Show Committee buys a piece of artwork from the winning artist that will be auctioned off the following year. "This purchase not only gives the artist some publicity but a cash sale," Siemens said. Because she won the department's rosette, next year's art auction will feature a piece of Strommen's art for bid. According to Siemens, every rosette winner also receives a one hundred dollar cash prize.

Another artist, Ashlyn Hofeldt, a fifth grader from Cleveland Elementary School and the daughter of Dustin and Vicki Hofeldt, displayed an exhibit of several movie characters, all featuring animated animals. In her collection, a drawing of Dodger from Oliver and Company won a blue ribbon, as did her picture titled "Red" from 101 Dalmatians. She also won two red ribbons.

"I love animals, and these are my favorite animals from the movies," Hofeldt said.

One of her art pieces featured some interesting script. "Those are Swahili words," she explained. "I'm teaching myself Swahili by using a dictionary." The reporter complimented her for being both creative and industrious. Swahili is a Bantu language widely used in East Africa.

According to Superintendent, John Schneider, the judge for the Agriculture Exhibits was Peggy Lamb from the Northern Ag Research Center at Fort Assinniboine near Havre. Lamb declared the following winners: Registered Seed: Clearview Seeds (Denton) for their chickpeas; Certified Seed: Treasure State Seed (Fairfield) for their Hockett variety of spring barley, a dry-land malting barley; Common Exhibitor: Daniel Rasmussen

(Hogeland), youth division, for his yellow peas; Youth Forage: Charlie Buck, third cutting alfalfa hay with a 195 Relative Feed Value (RFV) and 24.24 protein; Adult Forage: Fred Miller, second cutting alfalfa hay with 156 RFV and 18.8 protein. The Overall Agriculture Traveling Trophy Winner was Treasure State Seed.

In the Wool Department, Superintendent Sandy Miller reported three winners: Adult Commercial Mark Manoukian (Malta); Youth Commercial: Allyssa Schoen (Chinook); Youth Purebred: Tyler Schoen (Chinook); Miller explained that fleeces which receive the highest ratings are free of excessive paint brand, dung or tags, vegetable matter or burrs, discoloration from moisture, and matted portions or weak fiber staple.

In the Woodworking category, Dale Klungland noted that entries were scarce this year. When asked to speculate about the cause of those dwindling numbers, he named apathy and hopes that more people will enter their work next year. This year's rosette winners: Best of Show, Youth: Cord Schneider; Best of Show, Adult: Tony Collins; Youth Computer Generated: Lane Allen; Student Division: Josiah LongFox.

Schneider won his rosette for his metal fabricated vehicle bumper, while Collins, who owns Western Arts of Montana, won his honors with a picture frame commissioned by Tami Mitchell. The frame features barn wood, cow hide, rope, and eight Mitchell brands. Collins described the process of creating his art and the intricacy of using miniature branding irons.

Allen, a senior at Harlem High School (HHS), used the school shop's plasma cutter and his creativity to design an entrance sign for the Leo family. It features a train and a BNSF logo, as well as dates commemorating three significant members of the Leo family.

LongFox, also a senior at HHS, stenciled a staggered shelf with flowers to win his rosette in the Class II category, woodwork for the office, living or family room.

Torgerson's was the 2019 Commercial Booth Winner, according to Superintendent Paul Rasmussen. For their first place, they won a sweepstakes rosette ribbon and $100 cash.

From the shop to the kitchen, the Seed Show featured categories for multiple talents. Overall winner in the Yeast Breads category was Amanda Powell. Superintendent Karolee Kronk was especially impressed with Powell's specialty bread, a braided loaf which incorporated three different breads. "Each bread retained its own flavor without diminishing the other flavors, and the three together were not only beautiful but delicious," Kronk said.

Breads are rated on appearance (uniform shape and crust), crumb (color, lightness, elasticity, moisture, texture), and flavor. The following breads featured the prized qualities in their respective categories: White - 1st Linda Hauge, 2nd Carol Warburton, 3rd Jasmine Powell; 4th Patty Quisno; Machine White - 1st Carol Warburton, 2nd Sharon Reed, 3rd Jasmine Powell, 4th Amanda Powell.

Wheat - 1st Earline Knudsen, 2nd Vicki Snider, 3rd Ashlea Schroder, 4th Amanda Powell. Specialty - 1st Amanda Powell, 2nd Linda Hauge, 3rd Sharon Reed, 4th Sandy Miller

Youth White - 2nd Ashlyn Hofeldt. Youth Machine White - 1st Jacob Metcalf, 3rd Michael Ann Humphrey.

Youth Machine Combo - 2nd Jacob Metcalf, 3rd Ross Reed.

According to Pies Superintendent Vicki Hofeldt, pies are scored in three main categories for a total of 100 points: External Characteristics (uniform shape and color, pastry flavor and texture, crust design), Internal Characteristics (filling and creativity), and Flavor (crust and filling). She announced the following judge favorites:

Adult - 1st Judy Drugge, 2nd Patsy Shellhamer, 3rd Ashlea Schroeder, 4th Jasmine Powell. Youth - 1st Hannah Richman, 2nd Andrew Rasmussen, 3rd Ashlyn Hofeldt.

In the Educational Displays, North Chinook Boosters grabbed the judge's eye by harnessing the Seed Show's anniversary theme. With their 70 Years Later price comparisons, they won the Overall Sweepstakes prize. Superintendent Shirley Brockie also recorded winners in the Youth Group and Individual Divisions:

Youth Group - 1st Zurich School 6th and 7th graders for their display of the powers in the United States government and for their three-dimensional model of the White House. 2nd Valley Clovers 4-H for their Price of Vaping display board. 3rd North Harlem Elementary for their tri-fold display of the Native Americans of Montana.

Individual - 1st Angelina Toth - Whiskers: Kitty Radar; 2nd Andrew Rasmussen - Wood Cooler Stand, 3rd Torin Cercle and Morgan Friede-Chemical Free Rust Remover.

For their third place finish, Cercle and Friede tested several acidic organic household items and their ability to remove rust from horseshoes. They discovered that lime juice worked most effectively without any fear of harmful chemicals.

While everyone will likely have a different reason for remembering the 70th Annual Seed Show, fond memories will live on with ribbons and rosettes or through pictures and people as triggers. Seed Show organizers are already talking about next year's event.