When everything old becomes new again

Andrew Glazer

FAIRGROUNDS -- Among the neon and metal rock ‘n’ roll amusements

here and the fried-everything-on-a-stick is a pastel-colored oasis of

patchwork and woodwork, where everything is homemade and handmade.

“The fair has changed so much over the years, but this is still here,”

said Sue Mulligan, 53, who strolled through the Home and Hobbies tent

with her husband Tom and friend Miriam Calvo, 25, visiting from Sevilla,

Spain.

The tent is a Martha Stewart dream, with cabinets of perfectly baked

biscotti, lemon bars, brownies, cookies and tortes, canned peaches and

brandied plums, Stromboli, coffee cakes, muffins and fruit pies.

Blue ribbons marked prize-winning table settings, rhinestone covered

doll dresses and embroidery. Judges left their assessments of jarred

jellies and bread and butter pickles.

“The crispness of such thinly sliced pickle chips packs a wallop,”

wrote one. “The color, clarity, head space and packaging of the pickles

was superb.”

Quilters quilt, white-haired woodcarvers whittle and hundreds of

fair-goers watch.

“This tent causes people to reach back to the memories of their

grandmother quilting and crocheting,” said Phyllis Morrow, 50, supervisor

of the exhibit. “They’re traditions everyone can relate to.”

And traditions that may be in danger. The time people used to spend

whittling, sewing and building models is being encroached upon by the

Internet, PlayStation and Pokemon.

“We had 400 more entries than last year!” Morrow said. “I definitely

have faith in the hobbyist.”

So do quilters Jan Hirth, 57, Susan Staebell, 50, and Nancy Pestal,

55. They said quilters have started using computers to design patterns.

“We have a lot of kids entering projects,” said Pestal, who lives in

San Clemente and has come to the fair for the last 20 years. “You know

it’s going to continue. It’s my favorite place to come here. It gives you

a feel of the old state fairs.”