Another year and another Allegan County Fair gone by. Our fun began a few days before the fair did, however, because we at Sylvia's Place participated in the Fair Booth again. With the theme |Bumper Cars, Entertainment Stars, and You|, we racked our brains on how to incorporate Sylvia's Place while still showcasing the Fair's theme.

In the end, we found a few ways to connect. A few examples are as follows: The dolls are sitting in Bumpo-cars (bumper cars). This idea was courtesy of our shelter manager, Krista. We had homemade canned items and a variety of vegetables from our lovely resident advocate, Sally. Linda, our victim advocate, got us the starry night covers and the fishing line to hang out stars. Laura (VLA) and Jenna (RA) offered us the dolls to use.

The idea of shooting stars was a consistent theme amongst our staff. On each star was written a service that Sylvia's Place provides for survivors of domestic violence, most importantly our Shelter, 24 hr crisis line, and Advocacy for those in need. Putting the display ideas together was directed by our volunteer coordinator, Kas. The hard work by all of Sylvia's Place was necessary to complete this booth.

However, it wasn't just through our hard work. We have our community's support to thank as well.

First, thank you to Aubrey's Closet for donating items used in the display to Sylvia's Place. Thank you to Andy from ACE Hardware for donating the pumpkin and mums. And a very special thank you to our volunteer, Kaydence. Her artistic eye hung the stars and centered the sky. Without her help, we wouldn't have been able to complete the Booth. Thank you!

In the end, we placed 5th place. We at Sylvia's Place are pleased with such a placement, considering it was a new experience for half of our staff. We look forward to reaching further heights with next year's booth!