Their hands may not be as steady as they once were, but they can still pull weeds, sew hems and apply brush stokes.
Their creativity was evident yesterday amid the produce, crochet pieces, paintings, quilts, wreaths and crafts on display during the annual Senior Citizens' Day at the Carroll County 4-H Fair.
"I think it's important that the young people get to see what the seniors can do," said Paul Garver, manager of Westminster Senior Center, to which many of the fair contestants belong.
Besides exhibits and contests, Senior Citizens' Day featured a magic show, an ice cream social and a dance. The 104th annual fair, at the Carroll County Agriculture Center outside Westminster, continues through today.
Roy F. Mills, 77, sat proudly next to his grand-prize-winning assortment of vegetables in the agriculture center. His huge squash, cucumbers and peppers beat out the handful of other contestants. The win was the first for Mills, a Westminster resident who has entered the contest three years in a row. The victory renewed his ambition.
"I'm going to keep trying to win," Mills said yesterday.
Dorothy Hubatka, 71, of Finksburg was this year's grand prize winner in sewing. Her entry, a pale-green woman's suit, took her nearly a year to finish.
"It's hand-beaded," she said. "They don't make any patterns for that, and I don't stand for halfway work."
Her pride might come from years of winning. At past fairs, Hubatka has won for quilting, ceramics, needlework, embroidery and jewelry-making. In 1991, she won the grand prize in five categories. The wins make her hungry for competition.
"Next year ... oh, I've got a quilt coming," she said with a grin.
Gardening and crafts are just the beginning for this active group.
"I go the [Westminster] senior center every week for line dancing," Hubatka said.
