We wish every Mariposa County resident could have experienced the same pride we recently did. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to represent Mariposa County in its beautiful booth at the California State Fair.

This year's prize-winning booth was initiated by the board of supervisors which funded the initial costs and asked the 4-H Council to construct and represent the county. Donna Wice, 4-H coordinator, headed the efforts to construct and collect all the exhibits that graced the booth. Dan Wice was recruited to build the booth and he obviously put his heart and soul into this wonderful county representation.

While at the State Fair, we learned that there are professional booth builders who build the majority of the county booths. We were so proud to be able to say that our beautiful booth was built by volunteers.

A major compliment to our booth was the classy brochures provided by the Yosemite/Mariposa County Tourism Bureau. We gave out fliers about Yosemite hiking trails, general Yosemite information, and things to do in Mariposa County. The most impressive piece of literature available to visitors was definitely the Vacation Planner produced by the Tourism Bureau. The planner looks like a coffee table book and contains page after page of priceless information about Mariposa County.

We understand the booth will be reconstructed at the Mariposa County Fair this year. We urge each and every Mariposa County resident to visit and appreciate the efforts of many fellow Mariposa County volunteers. The booth won a silver award as a testament to all the hard work.

Marc and Karen Cutter