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At the Fair, Sculpture Worth Salivating Over
Ellen Zell, right, was named grand champion of the cheese-carving competition at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. Her friend Mary Gallagher, left, was last year's winner.
(Photos By Andrea Bruce -- The Washington Post)
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In general, yesterday was a high point for cheese aficionados at the fair. In addition to the carving contest, the program included the ceremonial cutting of the 550-pound round from northern Wisconsin that by fair tradition is aged in a special location and monitored by cheese handlers.
Martin Svrcek, executive director of the Montgomery County Agricultural Center, said those in the know wait until after the cheese-cutting ceremony to purchase their grilled cheese sandwiches because they know they'll get the specially aged cheddar.
"Fairs have their thing -- chicken wings, ribs. In Montgomery County, we have grilled cheese," Svrcek said.
The carving contest was not without drama.
"This is supposed to be a pig riding on the back of a pickup truck," said a clearly disappointed Warman, 67, after time was called. "But his ear fell off and he melted."
The crowd sympathized with her plight and applauded heartily.
Gallagher's carving spelled "FUN" from one angle and depicted the Bethesda skyline from another. It didn't capture the grand prize, though it did win a first-place citation for being "The Most Representative of the Fair."
The grand prize -- and a tote bag -- went to Gallagher's friend Ellen Zell, 42, of Gaithersburg for her canvas that combined the word "MILK," a grinning sun and the American flag.
But Gallagher was sanguine.
"I do it for the free cheese," she said.
The cheddar sculptures will be on display at the Butter House -- a more temperate setting for cheese sculpture -- until the end of the fair Saturday.
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