The 39th Bluemont Fair Offers “Green” Features

Since 2008, the Bluemont Fair has been adding more and more eco-friendly touches. The idea came from Jen Stone, the Children’s Fair Chair.

“It all started when I got really frustrated with all the lead recalls from China,” Jen says. As she was getting ready to give away prizes to thousands of kids, she realized she wouldn’t feel right handing out toys from companies that might not follow strict health and safety standards.

So, Jen teamed up with a group of women she calls “The Green Team” to brainstorm ways to make the Fair more eco-conscious. The team, which included a farmer, a preschool teacher, a potter, a yoga instructor, a graphic designer, and eight full-time moms, started coming up with ideas.

The biggest challenge was figuring out what prizes they could get in bulk that were actually green. After all, 4,000 prizes is a lot! With some help from other Fair chairs and local neighbors, they ended up choosing recycled pencils, traditional string games, homemade bookmarks with seeds, stickers, and used books.

They even found a company in Ohio that makes pencils from blue jeans, old currency, and newspapers. A local llama farmer donated dyed llama and sheep wool for the string games. They sourced seeds from a Virginia farm, and the paper for the bookmarks came from their own recycling bins. By putting boxes in community centers, the team collected over 700 donated books. Since recycled paper stickers were no longer available, they chose stickers with eco-friendly messages instead.

The last piece of the puzzle was the balloons. Jen learned that certain latex balloons are biodegradable, breaking down at the same rate as an oak tree leaf. After a bit of online research, they found a supplier in Boston who makes them. Instead of the usual plastic weights, they’ll attach sticks to the balloons to keep them grounded and avoid them floating away.

“It’s still a country fair,” Jen says, with a smile.

There will be recycling bins next to trash cans for bottles and cans, and Bluemont Fair posters are printed on recycled cardstock.

Jen’s hoping that the “green” elements of the Fair will continue to grow.