Mike Fucile, a coordinator with the Flordia State Fair’s annual Fine Handcrafted Furniture Competition, offers a roundup of this year’s event as well as a slideshow featuring a wide variety of this years entries and winners.

Fine Furniture in the Sunshine State

Every February, Tampa hosts the Florida State Fair. It’s an opportunity for Floridians to exhibit their chosen passion, from photography to fish tanks, and compete for prizes and ribbons.

One of the most popular competitions at the fair is Fine Handcrafted Furniture. Started in 1986, the Fine Handcrafted Furniture competition spotlights the work of some of the best amateur woodworkers in Florida.

Exhibitors compete in one of three divisions; the first of these is the Basic Division. This division is for woodworkers new to the competition or that haven’t been awarded a first place ribbon in previous years. The second is the Advanced Division for experienced woodworkers. The last is the Advanced Accessories Division which highlights items that are normally set on other furniture or hang on the wall.

Each division is judged separately and Best of Show ribbons are awarded accordingly.

The 2013 Best of Show ribbons went to Robert Ippoliti’s sculptured rocking chair for Basic, Scott Tiffany’s guitar chair for Advanced and Art Falcone’s book jewelry box for the Accessory Division.

This competition has been honored to host a variety of prestigious judges including Sam Maloof, Mack S. Headley Senior and Junior, and most recently Fine Woodworking contributing editor, Michael Fortune.

As new woodworkers emerge we encourage them to showcase their talents at the Florida State Fair in the ever popular and eye pleasing Fine Handcrafted Furniture competition.

For more information feel free to call Mike Fucile at 727-638-3227.

—Mike Fucile

  

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