Cream of the Crop Fair Decorating Ideas

Bountiful Harvest

• Many state fairs occur in the early fall, after the harvest and showcase the best of that year's crops, animals and local artistic creations. These celebrations lend themselves to a harvest-themed, "Cream of the Crop" decor scheme. Use bales of hay, shocks of wheat and corn and tables piled high with pumpkins and bushels of apples. Encourage vendors to highlight the cream of their crops, with an explanation of why it is the best-of-their-best -- whether it's a particularly juicy apple crop, an overflow of corn or an especially large pumpkin. Label awards "Cream of the Crop," allowing farmers and local businesses the opportunity to compete for the title.

Yellow and White

• The phrase "Cream of the Crop" often evokes images of sweet, yellow-and-white corn. Seize this association to create a unifying color scheme for your fair. Swath booths in cheery yellow fabric, and bring in yellow-and-white balloons. Use corn stalks as dividers between vendors sharing table space, and pile tables high with the sweet, crunchy vegetable. Create corn-themed vendor nametags from yellow, white and green construction paper. If the local fair is large, have guides dressed as stalks of corn available to give directions and assistance.

Cream of the Books

• Children will love a "Cream of the Crop" themed book fair -- perhaps because there's something about corn that's just so cute and friendly. Start with a wall highlighting the cream of the crop -- for example, let each class vote on their favorite book from the year, or if you have the room, let each student submit a book suggestion. Write these recommendations on corn-shaped cards. For artistic decoration, have students draw or paint their representation of the "Cream of the Crop," mount on green and yellow construction paper and use to create an art gallery. For reading programs, commend students who completed their list on a "Cream of the Crop" photo collage of their pictures accompanied by a brief review of their favorite books.

Cream of the Classroom

• Employ a similar motif in a classroom fair. It is easy to implement on this small scale. First, deck the room out in shades of yellow, white and green -- preferably in a country style, with lots of yellow-and-white checks and stripes. Bring in stalks of corn to fill the corners, and serve country goodies like lemonade and flower-shaped sugar cookies. Create a "Cream of the Crop" collage highlighting each student in the classroom; for a cute idea, merge photographs of their smiling faces with construction paper ears of corn. Include superlatives for each child, like "Best Listener," "Biggest Comedian," or "Most Helpful." Let the children write kind comments about their fellow students.