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For the first time in four years, several exhibits including a flower show will return to the Kiwanis Club’s annual Covington County Fair.

Kiwanis President Don Cotton said the 2023 fair would begin featuring exhibits that were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This year, we will have arts and crafts for children and flower arraignments for all ages. More details will be posted on our Facebook page,” Cotton said. “We are excited to announce that the flower show sponsored by the El Martes Garden Club is returning to the Covington County Fair this year,” Flower Show Committee Member Louise Anderson added.

The show will have six categories and 44 classes for entries. Prizes will be awarded for first place in each class and the top three places in most categories. The horticulture or flower entries must be turned in at the Kiwanis Fairground Building on Sunday, Oct. 22, between 1 and 4 p.m. The flower show committee is comprised of Louise Anderson, Paula Hagler, and Jerri Stroud.

The general public is invited to enter the Horticulture Division. In order to qualify for an award, entries must comply with the entry hour rules and be of good quality. Judging will occur between 8 a.m. and noon on the opening day of the fair on Monday, Oct. 23. Exhibitors should mark all properties. The flower show and fair committees will not be responsible for loss or damage of any article or material used. Exhibitors should read all rules and regulations carefully.

The flower show committee will disqualify entries that do not conform to schedule specifications and those of inferior quality. The show will be open for the duration of the fair with the final day scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 29. After judging, cut specimens may be removed if not of acceptable appearance. Late entries for the horticulture division will be marked “Not for Competition.”

Exhibitors should prepare entries at the registration areas. A preparation table will be provided for exhibitors to pour water into containers and arrange entries. Efforts will be taken to protect the plants in the horticulture exhibit.

All horticulture specimens must be fresh plant materials grown by the exhibitor. Exhibitors must be able to identify the plant correctly and will be permitted to make more than one entry per class if each is a different genus, species, variety, type, size or color. Container grown plants and plants which produce cut specimens must have been in the exhibitor’s possession for at least three months.

The flower show committee recommends that cut specimens are exhibited in clear glass bottles furnished by the exhibitor. Cut specimens should not have any foliage below the water lines. All specimens should be free of insects and other debris. Container-grown plants that previously won ribbons or awards in the flower show are not eligible for competition.

One blue ribbon and $5 may be awarded in each class. The judges, at their discretion, may withhold any award from any unworthy exhibit, even though such exhibit may be the only exhibit. A rosette and $25 may be given to a blue ribbon winner judged to be the best overall in each Category A, B, C, D, E, and F. The second place overall winner in each Category A, D, E, or F will receive a rosette and $15, and third place overall winner in each Category A, D, E, or F will receive a rosette and $10. An award of Horticulture Excellence may be given to an entry judged as the finest in the horticulture division. The recipient of this award may also receive a prize donated by a local business.

Category A is Biennials, Perennials, and Flowering Specimens. Class 1 is marigold, class 2 is zinnia, class 3 is celosia, class 4 is coleus, class 5 is gerbera daisy, class 6 is coneflower, class 7 is chrysanthemum, class 8 is rose, and class 9 is other cut flowering specimen.

Category B is Bulbs, Corms, Tubers, and Rhizomes. Class 10 is dahlia, class 11 is pinecone lilly, class 12 is caladium, and class 13 is other bulb, corm, tuber, or rhizome.

Category C is Decorative Cut Foliage. Class 14 is any decorate cut foliage, such as umbrella plant, elephant ear, philodendron, or grasses, etc.

Category D is Arboreal Specimen (one branch or cutting without bloom). Class 15 is green, gold, or variegated aucuba, class 16 is fatsia, class 17 is holly without berries, class 18 is holly with berries, class 19 is juniper, class 20 is mahonia, class 21 is nandina, class 22 is pittosporum, class 23 is Japanese yew podocarpus, class 24 is tea olive, class 25 is camellia, class 26 is sasanqua, class 27 is hydrangea, and class 28 is other cut branch, such as gardenia, cleyera, euonymous, tree ivy, ligustrum, and pyracantha.

Category E is Succulents. Class 29 is hen and chicks echeveria, class 30 is kalanchoe, class 31 is jade, class 32 is peperomia, and class 33 is other succulents such as flap jack plants.

Category F is Container-grown Plants. Class 34 is hanging basket, class 35 is aloe, class 36 is cactus, class 37 is sansevieria (mother-in-law’s tongue), class 38 is begonia, class 39 is fern, class 40 is geranium, class 41 is hibiscus, class 42 is bromeliad, class 43 is single specimen potted plant not listed in Category F, and class 44 is mixed container garden (several types of plants in one pot including fairy gardens and terrariums).

For more information visit kiwanisccf.org, contact any member of the El Martes Garden Club, or call Anderson at 334-222-1653, Hagler at 334-222-4279, or Stroud at 334-222-2985.