By Nikki Burkhamer
Examiner Contributor
Marley Young cleaned house this year in the Youth Home Goods competition for cakes at the Logan County Fair. She won Best of Show and Reserve Best of Show for Youth Cakes, and in addition to that, Reserve Best of Show for Youth Decorated Cakes.
An incoming junior at Calvary Christian School and a daughter of Tanner and Kristy Young, Marley put in a concerted effort on each of her entries prior to the Wednesday morning contest, July 9.
“I was up until 3:30 a.m. Monday, and Tuesday night. It’s exhilarating. I’m over the moon that I won. I worked all this time, and you hope you get that place, but it’s not guaranteed. Winning is the most amazing feeling that there is,” she said.
The house cleaning continued for Eli Smithers, a third-grade Calvary Christian student who received both the Best of Show for Youth Candy and a Reserve Best of Show for his No-Bake Cookies.
His mother, Rebecca Smithers, said, “We were all in the kitchen for a week cooking together.”
When asked how Eli felt about cooking with his family, he excitedly shared, “We got messy!”
Also in Youth Candies, Karly Holtkamp received a Reserve Best of Show for her fudge.
Jediah Tingley, who cut all of her fondant out by hand, worked with that fondant for a week and a half to achieve her Best of Show Rosette. She is a Benjamin Logan middle schooler.
“I didn’t expect it would take that long to decorate a cake,” she said. “I’m really proud for winning because I had never really worked with fondant or iced a cake before. So, I learned a lot of new things, and it took me a long time.”
Hazel Rutan had several entries into this year’s Youth Home Goods Show as well. She won Best of Show for her homemade Snickerdoodle Cookies.
Though they aren’t her favorite cookie variety, she said she chose to make them because they are her brother’s favorite cookie.
She was “a little scared” because she had “never made them before.”
“I wanted to make them the same size, and rolling them into balls was the funnest part,” Hazel shared joyfully.
When asked how it felt to get first place and Best of Show, Hazel said, “I was surprised, but, I was also really happy.”
In the adult pies open class contest that also took place Wednesday morning, Barb McKeen won Best of Show in the single-crust category for her blueberry crumble pie, which came the day after she won Best of Show for her cheesecake.
While she has been entering her baked goods in the Logan County Fair for more than 35 years, making the blueberry pie was a “new pie for me, this year.” McKeen shared.
“I tried it out on my family, last weekend, but I tweaked it a little bit. When you get into this, it actually takes about three weeks to prepare the recipe and gain the knowledge for how to use the ingredients. Winning makes it feel worthwhile. It is a lot of fun. I enjoy it. ”
Also in the single-crust category, Amy Armentrout received Reserve Best of Show for her s’mores pie.
In the double-crust pie category, a cherry pie made by Kathy Griffith took the Best of Show honors. Reserve went to Bill Meddings for his peach pie.
Mindy Smith and Addie Barnes from The Butcher & Market judged the adult pie category for Home Goods. The two from the downtown Bellefontaine business did not look unhappy as they tasted the 44 pie entries from this year’s fair.
Judging cakes, cookies, and candies for the youth contest was Beth Karshner. The Belle Center Library’s director has years of experience decorating cakes as a hobby for family and friends.
Home Goods Results
Single Crusted Adult Pies:
Sugar Cream: 1st Wendy Rutan, 2nd Bill Spencer, and 3rd Kathy Griffith.
Banana Crème: 1st Ashley Shaffer, and 2nd Rebekah Smithers.
Grasshopper Pie: 1st Amy Armentrout and 2nd Kathy Griffith.
Pumpkin Pie: 1st Barb McKeen, 2nd Karen Wisse, and 3rd Ann Wildermuth.
S’mores Pie: 1st Amy Armentrout and 2nd Rebekah Smithers.
Pecan Pie: 1st Barb McKeen, 2nd Sam Johnson, and 3rd Karen Wisse.
Blueberry Crumble: 1st Barb McKeen, 2nd Kathy Griffith, and 3rd Karen Wisse.
Best of Show: Blueberry Crumble – Barb McKeen
Reserve Best of Show: S’mores – Amy Armentrout
Double Crusted Adult Pies:
Apple Pie: 1st Kathy Griffith, 2nd Ann Wildermuth, and Sam Johnson.
Mixed Berry: 1st Bill Meddings and 2nd Anita Green.
Strawberry Pie: 1st Anita Green.
Cherry Pie: 1st Kathy Griffith, 2nd Barb McKeen, and 3rd Ashley Shaffer.
Spiced Peach: 1st Bill Meddings, 2nd Ann Wildermuth, and 3rd Barb McKeen.
Best of Show: Cherry- Kathy Griffith
Reserve Best of Show: Peach- Bill Meddings
Home Goods Youth Results
Cakes:
Chocolate Layer Cake: 1st Karly Holtcamp, 2nd Alexander Holtcamp, and 3rd Marley Young.
Any Chip Layer Cake: 1st Karly Holtcamp, 2nd Hazel Rutan, and 3rd Eli Young.
Marble Layer Cake: 1st Marley Young, 2nd Karly Holtcamp, and 3rd Eli Smithers.
Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes: 1st Marley Young .
Best of Show: Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes- Marley Young
Reserve Best of Show: Marble Layer Cake- Marley Young
Decorated Cakes:
Age 4-6 Decorated Cakes: 1st William Holtcamp and 2nd Grayson Young.
Age 7-12 Decorated Cakes: 1st Jediah Tingley, 2nd Ryder Filio, and 3rd Sawyer Elliot.
Age 13-17 Decorated Cakes: 1st Marley Young.
Best of Show: Jediah Tingley
Reserve Best of Show: Marley Young
Candies:
Fudge: 1st Karly Holtcamp, 2nd Raina Young, and 3rd Julianna Meddings.
Chocolate Covered Pretzels: 1st Eli Smithers, Marley Young, and 3rd Jediah Tingley.
Best of Show: Chocolate Covered Pretzels- Eli Smithers
Reserve Best of Show: Fudge- Karly Holtkamp
Cookies:
No-Bake Cookies: 1st Eli Smithers, 2nd Grayson Young, and 3rd Marley Young.
Chocolate Chip Bar: 1st Grayson Young, 2nd Karly Holtcamp, and 3rd Raina Young.
Peanut Butter Blossoms: 1st Julianna Meddings, 2nd Raina Young, and 3rd Hazel Rutan.
Snickerdoodles: 1st Hazel Rutan, 2nd Julianna Meddings, and 3rd Marley Young.
Best of Show: Snickerdoodles- Hazel Rutan
Reserve Best of Show: No-Bake Cookies-Eli Smithers