The 56th annual fair will be represented by the artwork of Round Hill resident Sara Parella
The Bluemont Fair is excited to announce that the winner of this year’s artwork contest is Sara Parella of Round Hill, Virginia. Artists were tasked with creating artwork to accompany the fair poster and other merchandise in line with this year’s theme – celebrating the black bears that roam in and around the Bluemont area. Fair chairs met on Tuesday, May 12 to choose between over twenty different submissions and ultimately voted for Parella’s as their favorite. Sara Parella moved to Virginia from the Pacific Northwest in 1988 to study at Mary Washington College, where she earned degrees in Studio Art and Political Science. She went on to study psychology at Marymount and Virginia Tech, and has been serving in the mental health field in Loudoun County for the past 30 years. Sara enjoys painting, pottery, dressage, traveling, and volunteering with several local dog and cat rescues. She lives in Round Hill with her husband, Rich, and several rescued dogs, cats, and goats. As mentioned above, Sara’s artwork, a painting depicting a bear wearing a crown of flowers with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background, will be the image on this year’s fair poster and other merchandise such as beer and wine glasses, t-shirts and coffee mugs. This year’s fair will take place the weekend of September 19-20, 2026. Admission is $10 (free for children under 9).