A Riverside resident took home six ribbons in the fabric and threads competition at the Iowa State Fair this year.

Alice Grimm has been submitting her crocheted works to the fair for over two decades now, “When we first started camping at the fair in the mid ‘90s, my husband had to work. So I was alone for a couple of days and I saw something that interested me that said ‘Fastest Fingers Competition’, so I decided, ‘Okay, I’ll check this out.’ The first year I attempted it I won first place in one category and second place in another category with 10 ladies sitting beside you.”

Grimm says she was hooked, and since then she has competed annually at the fair in fabric and threads. Last year she won Best in Show for her crocheted tablecloth. Grimm hasn’t just been a competitor at the fair, as she has also judged events at Pioneer Hall, “I had to judge little children on the stage telling jokes, I’ve judged one that was the kids calling their moms, the mom-calling contest. I was a judge in the beard contest which was totally awesome and it’s got me hooked on it. So now I go watch the beard contest because it’s so much fun, those fellows are great.”

Grimm camps for all 11 days of the Iowa State Fair, and you’d be hardpressed to find something she doesn’t enjoy, from rooster crowing contests, to the daily-changing horticulture displays.