MONTEREY, CA. (April 28, 2021) — The Monterey County Fair & Event Center has announced the adult and youth winners of its recent poster artwork contest: Patricia Clark-Gray in the Adult Division and Elysha Kennedy in the Youth Division.
One winning entry will be chosen as the 2021 Fair poster art and one will be chosen as the 2021 Entry Guidebook Cover.
Clark-Gray’s artwork features a quilt-like design with six panels, each featuring an aspect of the fair: a strawberry, chicken, a Ferris wheel, a bouquet of flowers, a prize-winning pig, and a child enjoying a candied apple and corn dog, fair favorites.
Clark-Gray will receive a $100 cash prize and Kennedy will receive a $50 cash prize. Both winners will receive a family package of tickets to the Fair to be held Sept. 3-6, 2021.
The posters used this year’s theme, “Fair Fun in 2021!” as part of the artwork. Cathy Meehan of Watsonville was the winner of the theme contest. The Monterey County Fair Board of Directors selected the winning entrants.
Clark-Gray has lived in Marina since 1988 and, with her late husband Ken Gray, raised two sons Doug and Wes. She worked for California State Parks at the Monterey District as the District Interpretive/Education Specialist until she retired in December 2019.
Prior to that, she was a State Park Ranger in the Sacramento Area and worked at the State Indian Museum. She has been a Boy Scout leader for over 20 years and has been a Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, and Unit Commissioner. She loved attending the Scout Camps and especially doing archery, canoeing, and crafts. She has been a Master Gardener since 2014.
For many years she has submitted entries to the Monterey County Fair in the divisions of cut flowers, flower arrangements, scrapbooking, baking and collections and has won a variety of ribbons. But she did the competitions just for the fun. Her great grandmother used to win for her baking in Southern California at their local fairs, so it is in her blood. When she remarried to Tom, he joined in on the fun in 2018. Together they entered the duct tape and other competitions.
Clark-Gray loves going to the fair with her family, coworkers, and friends. Between Pat and Tom, they have nine grandchildren with one on the way. They will enjoy taking them to the fair to see the animals and eat the delicious corn dogs.
The couple spends time with their Goldendoodle, Latte, gardening, and traveling. She enjoys watercolor so she thought that would be a good medium for the fair poster. She said she tried to paint images of what she liked best about the fair: quilts, pigs, chickens, rides, food, and children having a great time with their parents and grandparents.
For information, contact the Monterey County Fair & Event Center at (831) 372-5863 email:events@montereycountyfair.com, or go to www.montereycountyfair.com.
About the Monterey County Fair & Event Center
The Monterey County Fair & Event Center is a premier event center set on 22 oak-studded acres with ample parking. It is a state-owned multi-use facility that features four large banquet rooms, two outdoor concert venues, and a variety of outdoor and indoor cost-effective sites ideal for all types of events. It is home of the annual award-winning Monterey County Fair, host to many major and private events on the Central Coast, and the site of the Monterey Bay Race Place, a Satellite Wagering Facility.
