As the summer heat continues to build you can almost hear the vegetables growing in the many local gardens in Cranbrook and Kimberley, which is a good thing because it will soon be time for the Kootenay Country Fall Fair at Fort Steele.

The popular fair, which has been running for 33 years, takes place Sunday Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and hundreds of participants are expected.

There’s a little bit of everything at this year’s Kootenay Country Fair including the usual displays of local garden produce, cut-flowers, baking, arts and crafts. But there are also some unusual categories too like smocking, home-made birdhouses, scarecrows, masks, story writing, pillow-sewing and many more.

And all this won’t cost you an arm and a leg either because Fort Steele is waiving its usual gate fee and admission to the fair is a modest $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $12 for families and children under six are free.

In addition to all the garden and baking exhibits, there will be lots of other entertainment at the fair including wagon rides, a petting zoo, children’s games, an auction, musical entertainers, face painting and commercial exhibits. And there are always lots of good things to eat.

In support of local gardeners and their efforts, the Cranbrook Garden Club is awarding a $50 “People’s Choice” award in the garden produce category and the Kimberley Garden Club is awarding $30 for the most ribbons in the Adult Garden Produce category.

One of the produce categories is “Most Unusual Vegetable,” which has been sponsored by Casey’s Greenhouse for several years. “Some vegetable that has grown in a bizarre way or is bizarre by nature,” says Mark Casey, describing the category.

“Maybe it’s something inordinately big, a zucchini as big as a Volkswagen or a tomato with a nose or a pumpkin that looks like Lincoln. We’ve had all sorts of weird and wonderful vegetables over the years.”

Humour aside, Casey said there’s something special about fall fairs. “They are a touch of the past that connects you to where you came from. Somewhere along the line, we’re all connected to the ground.”

But there’s much more on display at the Kootenay Country Fair than vegetables, unusual or otherwise. There will also be decorated bicycles, whittled (carved) objects, photography, paintings, delicious preserves, needlework, scrap books, home-made beer and all of those wonderful pies and pastries.

There’s even a category called “Reduce, Return and Recycle” sponsored by Southeast Disposal.

Winners in the adult categories will get ribbons and there will be best overall cash prizes for all sections. Junior winning entrants will get ribbons and cash prizes for their efforts. Participants have until 5 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 7 to enter any of the categories and entry forms can be picked up by calling Fort Steele at 417-6000 or more information can be obtained by calling Gwen at 426-4953 or Trudy at 489-1956.

The fair is run by a dedicated group of volunteers and is made possible by donations it gets from a large number of sponsors. This fair is celebrating 100 years of fair history in British Columbia.