GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Tasha Hyder found a unique way to turn soon-to-be garbage into a community fundraiser when she invited local artists to put their artistic touches on old picnic tables at the Clay County Fairgrounds.

Not only were the tables spared from being crushed into sawdust, but their transformations also helped raise money to help 44 state charities.

That wasn’t lost on officials at the Florida Festivals and Events Association annual convention. The organization honored both the Clay County Agricultural Fair and the South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach with its Community Impact Award.

Both fairs turned old picnic tables into money-generating pieces of art that raised a combined $200,000.

Clay also finished second in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for its Sunflower Project where music and loud noises were muted to allow people with visible disabilities to participate in a morning of fun.

“Two of my favorite things to share were our Sunflower Hours and our picnic project,” said Hyder, the fair’s executive director. “I’m super happy with how they both turned out. Our most innovative project was Sunflower Hours. It was a challenge, but I’m so happy how it turned out.”

Artists were extremely creative with their designs. Sixteen tables were turned from splintered eyesores into art that was sold at auction during the 11-day fair. All the money was dispersed to area charities. Hyder said one table fetched $500.

In all, the fair earned two special awards as well as four first-place marketing awards, three second-place awards in marketing and one third-place in marketing.

Crisis Communication Plan, Photo Op Area/Selfie Station, Promotional Poster and Tickets and Invitations all finished first, while T-shirts, DEI Initiative and the Facebook page were second and the Community Outreach Program website was third.

The picnic table and Sunflower Hours will return next year, Hyder said.

“We have about 30-to-40 tables here, so we’re going to do it again,” she said. “And we’re going to expand our Sunflower Hours. We’re going to do it until we run out of tables.”

Sunflower Hours was added to help those with non-visibility disabilities that can be physical, mental or neurological such as autism, Asperger syndrome and cognitive impairments.

“For our Sunflower Hours, we brought in interpreters, sign language interpreters and bilingual volunteers to help with our ever-growing society,” Hyder said. “We had purple tent stations all over where you could come in and sit down and put your earphones on and just kind of calm down.”

Now an ambassador with the International Association of Fairs and Expositions, Hyder said she already has been to nine other fairs. She left this week to attend her 10th – the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa. Both fairs often are confused with each other and Hyder joked she may wear her Clay County, Florida fair logo to have fun.

“Ten fairs – that’s a lot of deep-fried Oreos,” she said.

Hyder already is working on new programs for next year’s fair.

“There’s going to be some new stuff,” she said. “There always is, but nothing we’re ready to put out there yet.”

Next year’s fair is scheduled to run from March 3-April 9.