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Great Darke County Fair
Junior Cake Decorating
By Elaine Bailey
When asked if this was going to be a friendly competition, the girls
agreed as Kaitlyn teasingly added, “To the death!”
Natalie Beck, a Girl Scout member, invited friends Elizabeth Moss and
Kaitlyn Conway to join her in the junior cake decorating competition at
the 2015 Darke County Fair.
It was the first time any of the girls had participated in the event;
however, they came prepared with hours of cake decorating practice and
supporting mentors.
Elizabeth, a member of the Fun Bunch 4-H Club, learned techniques by
experimenting with different decorating tips and by watching her
grandmother decorate cakes. Natalie learned from her mother and
her aunt Candy. Kaitlyn loved watching her uncle Chuck decorate
cakes and cookies.
And the judge? LouAnn Jess from Miami County learned how to
decorate cakes at an adult education class at Troy High School and has
decorated cakes for 43 years.
When asked if she gets tired decorating cakes, Jess joked, “I don’t get
tired decorating cakes… I just get tired!”
The competition began with the girls amiably negotiating for decorating
tips and continued with an ongoing exchange of tips on how to decorate.
Even with only minutes to spare, the girls were assisting one another
with clogged tips, sagging ribbons of icing, or embellishing
suggestions.
Elizabeth encouraged her decorating allies, “You guys are doing really
good… really good.”
LouAnn Jess shared a few tips for future participants before awarding
ribbons. Leave icing out the night before… it generally doesn’t
need to be refrigerated. Use a covered cardboard to hold the cake
rather than a cake stand. Go with the flow. There is no
longer a traditional way to decorate. Watch what others do… you
are never through learning.
First Place: Kaitlyn Conway
Second Place: Elizabeth Moss
Third Place: Natalie Beck
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