WARSAW — For Esther Johnson, the 61st time was the charm.

Johnson entered the Kosciusko County Community Fair’s open class competition as she had been doing for more than a half century. Unlike previous years, she was shocked to see a purple ribbon attached to the children’s outfit she had sewn.

“One of the ladies who won a champion ribbon in the sewing department, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and she said ‘out of 61 years of entering things in the fair, this is my first champion ribbon,’” said Jaclyn Franks, extension educator for Purdue Extension Kosciusko County. “She was just so emotional, and that really that’s why we do what we do,” said Franks. “It’s a proud moment for the exhibitors as well as the volunteers who work in the building to see how happy people are.”

For Johnson, wielding a needle and thread has been a labor of love since before she was a teenager and she admitted to getting misty-eyed when she learned she’d taken top honors.

“I cried,” said the resident of Atwood. “I’ve been doing this since I was 10 years old, I’ve been sewing. I sewed all my children’s clothes, my husband’s clothes, grandkids, nieces, nephews, everybody.”

Johnson was one of numerous winners celebrated at the fairgrounds’ Home and Family Arts Building on Tuesday, July 9. According to Franks, the turnout for this year’s event was anything but scant.

“I’m really happy,” Franks said. “We felt like we were really busy on entry day, we were really happy with the quality of the exhibits and it brings us a lot of pride just to see the look on people’s faces when they see their exhibit hanging on the wall.”

Franks estimated the event boasted 1,000 entries. Winners in each category are listed below: