Very fruitful - The Garden Island

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Cui Hong Tu of Lin’s Farm checks in her produce, including tomatoes that earned top honors in the Special Contest of the Fruit and Vegetable Show Thursday at the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium in Lihue.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Hannah Huang of Kauai Glory farms takes a phone call while checking in her amaranth for the Fruit and Vegetable Show Thursday at the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium. Kauai Glory finished runner-up in the top farmer category with $462 earned in prizes.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Louisa Wooton of Kauai Kunana and the Wooton Family Farms checks in her entries for the Fruit and Vegetable Show Thursday at the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair. Wooton was announced the top farmer with $720 earned for her prizes.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

The twilight skies over Vidinha Stadium are lit up by EK Fernandez rides, including the new Zero Gravity, Thursday at the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Island School parent volunteer Keli‘i Ka‘aihue turns steak over the grill Thursday night to fulfill customers’ orders at the food booth during the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

The lemongrass specimen by Consolacion Manera displays its Best in Show rosette for fair-goers to see Thursday during the Fruit and Vegetable Show at the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

4H Livestock member Kayde Brock reacts Thursday as his chicken, a cochin bantam, lights on the arm of Kailea Horka during the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Consolacion Manera wants to make sure her Best in Show ribbon shows on the jackfruit that won the honor Thursday during the Fruit and Vegetable Show at the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Laura Kawamura of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources honors the Bridgette Orsatelli ohana, including children Rayven, Chase and Storm, and Chantal Rusaw for its service to the 4H program, celebrating its 100th anniversary Thursday during the opening of the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Kyny Lim and John McClure of Moloaa Bay Coffee and Chocolate field questions during the chocolate demonstration at the Kauai Made booth Thursday as the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair opens a four-day run on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

EK Fernndez rides light up the skies as the Kauai County Farm Bureau fair opens Thursday evening for a four-day run on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium.

Consolacion Manera was a dual winner Thursday during the judging of the Fruit and Vegetable Show at the Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair.

Manera sat within eyesight of her winning jackfruit, available for comments from fair-goers who oogled the giant pair of spiked fruit that dwarfed the competition.

“Make sure the ribbon shows,” Manera said. “The fruit is so big, need to put it on top so people can see.”

Manera, taking the Best in Show for Fruits, added to her winnings by claiming the Best in Show honor for her lemongrass specimen that she claimed was a lot of work to harvest because it was so big.

Top five farmers claiming honors in the Fruit and Vegetable included the Kauai Kunana/Wooton Family Farms earning a total of $720 in prize money for their judging entries. They repeated as top winners from last year’s fair.

Hannah and James Huang of Kauai Glory Farm have been steadily increasing their share of winning over the past several fairs. This year, the Huang couple earned runner-up honors at $462 in earnings, edging out long-time farmer George Mukai of Kapaa who finished third at $406 in earnings.

Cui Hong Tu of Lin’s Farm may not have had that many specimens submitted for judging, but the ones that came in did well as Lin’s Farm was named tops in the Special Contest, or tomatoes. That contributed toward her overall fourth place finish in the top five farmers at $264 in earnings.

Sandra Henmi of Kalaheo rounded out the top five farmers with $115 in earnings.

Coach Jack Leonard, co-owner of the Kauai Gymnastics Academy, has always had good luck with his tomatoes. However, this year he was aced out of the top spot by Tu and Lin’s Farm.

Third-place honors in the Special Contest belonged to the Kauai Glory Farm.

Thatcher Magoun has been helping his dad Sean with the Island School food booth from before he started school. He is now an eighth-grader and, this year, topped the Youth Contest for a $50 prize. Second place belonged to Mary Magoun, who won $30.

The Kauai County Farm Bureau Fair continues through Sunday night with a Super Saturday schedule today.

Among the lineup is the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative Keiki Talent Showcase, the Pineapple Whipped Cream Pie Eating Contest, the HMSA Happy Healthy Keiki Parade, and the final opportunity to view the Fruit and Vegetable Show.

Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for kupuna 65 and up, $2 for keiki between 4 through 12, and free for keiki 3 and under.

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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.

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