Readers may give their favorite fairs the chance to be a Blue Ribbon winner in 2006, by making a fair nomination today. To nominate your fair, send a short note to Hoof Beats outlining why you think your fair's racing program is worthy of a blue ribbon. The three fairs with the most votes will be featured in a 2006 issue of Hoof Beats, and a USTA representative will present a Blue Ribbon Fair Award plaque to officials of each fair during the racing program.
All entries must be received or postmarked by June 1.
Entries may be sent via e-mail to blueribbon@ustrotting.com or by regular mail to USTA Blue Ribbon Fair Contest, 750 Michigan Ave., Columbus, OH 43215. Fax to (614) 222-6791. Only one nomination per address will be accepted.
The Jasper County Fair in Newton, Ill., the Effingham County Fair in Altamont, Ill., and the Vernon County Fair, Viroqua, Wis., will be honored in 2005 with the USTA Blue Ribbon Fair Awards.
The fairs, voted on by readers of Hoof Beats and the USTA Internet site, were chosen for the awards, which are designed to recognize and reward county fairs for going above and beyond in their efforts to hold an outstanding harness racing program.
Stories on the three fairs will appear in future issues of Hoof Beats.
The 2005 honorees join a distinguished list of fairs that have won USTA Blue Ribbon Fair Awards in past years: the Bloomsburg Fair of Bloomsburg, Pa.; Brown County Fair of Mt. Sterling, Ill; the Cumberland Fair of Cumberland, Maine; the DeKalb County Fair of Sandwich, Ill.; the Delaware County Fair of Delaware, Ohio; the Delaware State Fair of Harrington, Del.; the Du Quoin State Fair of Du Quoin, Ill.; Elkhart County 4-H Fair of Goshen Ind.; the Fairfield County Fair of Lancaster, Ohio; Farmington Fair in Farmington, Maine; the Fryeburg Fair of Fryeburg, Maine; the Great Darke County Fair of Greenville, Ohio; the Great Stoneboro Fair of Stoneboro Pa.; the Humboldt County Fair in Humboldt, Iowa; the Great Jones County Fair and Food Festival in Jones County, Iowa; the Lewis County Fair of Lowville, N.Y.; the Neshoba County Fair of Philadelphia, Miss.; the Ottawa County Fair of Holland, Mich.; the Pokomoke Fair in Pokomoke, Md.; the Shelby County Fair Association in Shelbyville, Ind.; the Skowhegan State Fair in Skowhegan, Maine; the Van Wert County Fair in Van Wert, Ohio; the Walworth County Fair of Elkhorn, Wis.; the Windsor Fair of Windsor Maine; and the York Inter-State Fair, York, Pa. 
