Best of Show -- Two McCook artists take top honors at Nebraska State Fair

GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska -- Two McCook, Nebraska, artists earned "Best of Show" awards at the 2010 Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island.

Vera Hanson's thistle and bumblebee "scherenschnitte" and Audrey Suiter's "Primitive Garden" quilt are quite possibly Red Willow County's first-ever state fair open class "Best of Show" ribbon winners, according to county fair board manager Deb Lafferty of McCook, who said she remembers no other state fair "Best of Show" winners in her 18 years with the fair board.

Deb is excited about her county's two top-award exhibits, Audrey and her husband, Jim, have proudly hung the fall-colored quilt in their family room, and Vera said she had no idea her scissor-cutting picture would win anything at state fair. She laughed, "I just wanted them to hang it up."

At the county fair in July, Audrey's "Primitive Garden" quilt won "Best of Show" in the quilt division, and Vera's framed scherenschnitte picture won "Best of Show" in the craft division.

At the state fair Aug. 27-Sept. 6 in Grand Island, Audrey's garden quilt won first in the bed quilt/combination (machine/hand) technique division, and then "Best of Show" in quilting. Four other quilts that Audrey sent to the state fair won one blue and three red ribbons.

At the state fair, Vera won first in the paper art division and then "Best of Show" in the fine crafts division.

Audrey has quilted for just 10 years, and has completed 30 quilts -- all of which she'll distribute among her five children, 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren with one on the way. "All the kids want this one," Audrey smiled, standing beside her "Best of Show" quilt.

Vera's "Thistles and Bumblebees" scherenschnitte picture is a pattern from Germany, Vera's native country. Vera learned the traditional German folk art of cutting paper into decoration in fourth and fifth grade art classes. Traditionally, the finished silhouette -- a velvety jet black -- is mounted on an ivory background.

Each pattern that Vera attempts seems to be more demanding, until she's holding intricately-cut, fragile paper lace. "It's my passion," she smiles. "What can I say?"