Student's perspective on State Fair experience

The Indiana State Fair concluded August 23, 2009 and The Chef's Academy was very involved in demonstrations throughout the duration of the State Fair in the Home and Family Arts building on the Culinary stage. Career Services Director Joshua Horrigan gave a great number of demonstrations throughout the fair as well as a student of The Chef's Academy and one of our Advisory Board members.
We also had instructors Chef Bane and Chef Trinosky, along with students Adam Walker and Jeremiah Clark participate in the State Fair's pumpkin carving contest. Below Adam describes his experience at the 2009 Indiana State Fair.

"In the eight years I've lived in Indianapolis I have never attended The Indiana State Fair. I got to visit the State Fair on August 14, 2009.

I entered a pumpkin carving competition with Chef Bane, Chef Trinosky, and another student named Jeremiah Clark. When we got to the Agriculture building, we already had a crowd waiting around our area wanting to see us carve these 400 pound pumpkins. This was the first time that I have ever carved on something this big; I usually carve from watermelons to apples, cantaloupe and honeydew. Those items don’t compare to a 400 pound pumpkin!

I had an idea of what I wanted to do, which was to take a bumper sticker design that is meaningful to me and carve it right into the pumpkin. The bumper sticker design was in memory of a good friend of mine, Lilly Irene Martyn, that passed away this past June. On the pumpkin are a few of her favorite words and phrases that she loved to say, she was an amazing girl. After I got done carving the enormous pumpkin, we packed up and headed on our way home. Later that night our carvings were judged and awarded. My pumpkin got fourth place in the competition. I was happy with my placing and it helped increase my carving skills.

Saturday August 15, 2009 Chef Bane and I went back to The Indiana State Fair and this time it was to carve another pumpkin, although this time it was for fun. We got to carve whatever we wanted, since it was the year of the tomato, Chef Bane decided to carve that into one side of his 700 pound pumpkin. On the other side was the Indiana State Fair logo that he carved with random designs. The pumpkin that I carved was a 600 pound pumpkin that I decided to carve a big eye in and make it like a mouth. I kind of made it look like it was the monster from Monsters Inc… Mike Wazowski. Overall the end product of what I carved looked good; I took what I remembered what he looks like and I put that right into the pumpkin.

For going to the fair for the first time in my life of all eight years I have lived here, I really enjoyed what I came to do, I would love to go back next year and help out."