Friday night was the evening that the judges descended upon our humble little recreation centre to impart their wisdom to judge the categories of the 25th Anniversary Red Ribbon Competition.
From the comfort of the gallery you were able to sit back and relax with a variety of tasty cheeses, crackers, and a glass of wine and watch the busy, yet organized proceedings below.
Once the judging had concluded the spectators were able to mingle with the judges, including the celebrity judges Tricia Ingram and Gwendolyn Richards.
There were about 12 judges this year and each was assigned to a section and almost every judge had their very own assistant to do their bidding.
I was able to mingle with the judges and assistants and take photos of these esteemed persons doing their thing. Some of them were taking their job very seriously – all business, while others were more relaxed but just as professional.
I spoke to Judge Donna as she was judging the Jams, Jellies & Preserves and she showed me the well-worn judging standards booklet that she used to evaluate each category under her purview.
Over the past few years there have been a few grumblings about how some of the categories have been judged but just so everyone knows, the judges are using their experience and official guidelines to judge the Red Ribbon Competition. If you still feel that it’s not enough I’m sure that you can look into becoming a judge yourself; except that you either won’t be able to enter your own goods or that you won’t be judging any section that has your entries.
Thank you to all the judges and assistant volunteers who took the time to come in and help with the 25th Anniversary Red Ribbon Competition. We look forward to seeing you again next year!
