Fair is Fair

This post will also be found in Tehachapi's The Loop Newspaper.

The Kern County Fair just recently ended where Sharon Wood and I participated in some of the food contests. Now for many of these events (most baking and all preserved foods) you have to be signed up back in August though there are some you can sign up for the day of the event (such as pies and some cakes). But we tried several things, from jams and jellies to breads and pies. And we did OK.



Last year we entered a few things and out of all of them the only thing we got was a fourth place for my mixed berry pie. But this year went better. A total of four ribbons between us. Sharon got a first place for her bread machine cherry bread. While I received a first for my chocolate cherry drop cookies. I also got another fourth place for a pie, my cherry limeade pie. And a third place for my jalapeño jelly. Next year I think we're going to enter in even more categories. Tehachapi is also represented by additional winners in the Cake Mix Tricks and the Apple Pie contests. There might be even more I don't know about.

The Apple Pie contest is sponsored and judged by the Pulford Appletree Orchard. There were over twenty apple pies entered which members of the Pulford family sampled and judged. I'm not sure how well I'd be feeling after even small bites of over twenty pies. Mine wasn't in the top pies, but I'm going to keep working on it. And the Pulfords very kindly gave bags to the contestants so we could go to their orchard and get a half peck of apples just for participating.

And ribbons aren't all that you get. In a few weeks I expect to be getting a check to pay the premiums for my “winners”. Of course the total on that check isn't going to pay for the ingredients for any of my entries, but I'm not really doing it for the big prize money. (Except for specially sponsored contests prizes start at about seven dollars and work their way down from there.) No I'm doing it for the fun of it. And the bragging rights.

That's right, I'm an award winning baker. And a jellier. (My spell checker doesn't think that's a word, tough, I'm an award winner and it isn't.) I'm already starting to think about what I might do next year to try to increase the number of winners.

And speaking of award winning, the Tehachapi Community Theatre Ten-Minute Play Festival is running October 12^th – 21^st. You should get out and see these plays. There are nine world premiere plays and many have been written by local playwrights. (Yes, one of them is mine.) And each of these plays is already a winner, but there remains voting for audience favorites. So you as the audience to get to let your voice be heard as to what kinds of plays you enjoy. So come on out and support this great event.