Photo by Sabrina Pankratz Judy Hoffmann and her granddaughter, Carolyn Hoffmann pose next to their favorite entry, the fairy garden, in the open class exhibit building.

MARSHALL — Judy Hoffmann and her granddaughter, Carolyn Hoffmann, came to the Lyon County Fair to see Hoffmann’s 51 entries in what she said will probably be her final year entering a lot of plants in to the open class exhibit.

“My sister always said if you don’t bring stuff to the fair, the fair is going to die, because you need people to bring stuff,” Hoffmann said.

Hoffmann was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 29 years ago, but that hasn’t stopped her from gardening and entering every year.

“It is very hard for me to garden, but I have a chair, the rocker chair, so I can rock up and pull the weeds and pick the things and sit back when I get tired,” Hoffmann said.

Hoffmann won two champion ribbons, one purple ribbon, 20 first-place ribbons, 18 second-place ribbons, and four third- place ribbons this year.

“I wanted to do a good last year, because we got our garden in so late,” Hoffman said.

“It’s just a fun experience things that are the same size and things that go together, and gardening, flowers are my main thing,” Hoffmann said.

Hoffman has participated since she was in 4-H when she was young.

“I think I started when I was 9 years old and then my mother was a leader for 25 years. So, we just got used to taking stuff to open class and it has just continued,” Hoffmann said.

Hoffmann said her children participated in 4-H and now her grandchildren participate as well.

Hoffmann said Carolyn will be going back to NDSU this fall for her second year and that she will miss her.

“My granddaughter has been a blessing because she’s been there to help me to get it together and bring it out here, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do that myself,” Hoffmann said.

“I used to bring stuff in here too, but I’ve been busy that I haven’t had time to do anything. So, it was good to help her and everything knowing that she can’t always do everything. And I had days off, so what else would I do?” Carolyn said.