Kimberton Fair News

Kimberton Fair's traditional "Pie Eating Contest" was held again this year. Youngsters signed up to be part of this favorite food eating competition that tests their speed and their stomachs as they try to be the first one to finish a blueberry pie.

Contestants were divided into 3 heats of up to 6 competitors. After getting firm instructions from Fair Secretary Karen Dobson, they dove into their blueberry pies. No hands allowed...and no utensils! Each contestant could only go in head first and try to finish the entire pie before they could be declared a winner.

Heat #1: 1st, Gavin Frederick, age 8; 2nd, Jacob Straka, age 10; and 3rd, Sean Lukowski, age 8.

Heat #2: 1st, Johnny Benditt, age 10; 2nd, Sarah Fogwell, age 11; and 3rd, James Dolan, age 11.

Heat #3: 1st, Patrick Murphy, age 14; 2nd, John Lukowski, age 13; and 3rd, Walter Nelson, age 12.

Contest organizers gave special recognition to Patrick Murphy who has won his age group's pie eating contest for the past 4 years. This was Patrick's last year of competition as next year he will be past the age limit.

Following the children's division, the 2010 Fair Queen Court did a special pie eating contest complete with mini chocolate cream pies baked specially by the Fair Queen's mother Bridgette Lightcap. Eva Talbert, 2010 Fair Queen Runnerup, proved to be Queen Bee in the art of pie eating, devouring her pie in a matter of seconds. "Had I known pie eating was this easy, I would have done this years ago!" she exclaimed.

The Fair thanks Jack Foresta's Country Meat Market for donating the pies for the children's competition. To see photos of the competitions, visit our Photo Gallery.

Kids Pedal Their Way to Success at 2010 Kimberton Fair

It wasn't the roar of super-modified tractor engines, but rather the cheers of "go! go! go!" as children pedaled their way to success at Kimberton Fair's 1st Annual Children's Pedal Tractor Pull.

Children ages 4 - 9 used leg power to pedal kid-sized John Deere tractors down a track, pulling a weighted sled. The further they advanced the tractor, the faster the weight moved up the sled, making the tractor more difficult to pedal.

Members of the Waterloo Boys Two Cylinder Club of Southeastern PA from Lancaster County ( http://www.roughandtumble.org/wb/index.asp ) donated their time and equipment for the Fair's first contest. Waterloo Boys President Steve Koser introduced the new contest to the crowd of onlookers. Fair Livestock Chairperson Julie Taney organized the contestants while Steve and fellow club members Rich Carnathin, Ted Casey and George Harris assisted with the equipment and measuring the results.

The first class of contestants were the 4-5 year olds who proved to be pretty powerful as most of them succeeded in a full pull on their first try. This resulted in a four-way tie, so organizers upped the sled weight from 5 pounds to 45 pounds. This definitely broke the tie! Winners were: 1st - Loic Lehman; 2nd - Cody Nolan and 3rd - Owen White.

The second class of contestants - age 6-7 - started pulling with a 55 pound weight. A pull-off between 2 contestants proved that the girls can do it, too, as Lauren McIntyre happily took first place with a pull of 17.8 feet while Zach Curtis came in 2nd with 12.3 feet. Dalton Nolan took 3rd place.

The last set of contestants pulled an amazing 65 pounds! 1st place went to Eathan Sterner; 2nd - Ryan McIntrye, and 3rd - Chase Rotelle.

All winners received ribbons and prize money, and all other contestants received Honorable Mention ribbons to acknowledge their participation. Check out our Fair Photo Gallery for photos of the events.

1st Annual Cow Milking Contest Udderly Successful!

The Kimberton Fair held its first Celebrity Cow Milking Contest on Thursday, July 29.

The nine competitors included Kim Cooley, Executive Director of the Phoenixville Chamber of Commerce; Adam Deveney, Phoenixville Kiwanis; Senator Andy Dinniman; Melissa Gibbons, Director of Phoenixville Recreation Center; Janet Hunter, Director of Stepping Stone Education Center of Phoenixville; Phoenixville's famous "Santa", Tom Mitchell; Gary Moore, Kimberton Fair Chairman; Craig Parkinson, Phoenixville High School's Principal; and Suzanne Lightcap, Kimberton Fair's 2010 Queen.

Celebrities arrived at Kimberton Fair's livestock arena where Livestock Chairman Julie Taney introduced them to the cows and gave an overview of the contest. Hunter and Cooley admitted to having spent the day online watching videos on how to milk a cow. "Santa" Tom Mitchell even participated in the event in his Santa hat and beard. The celebrities were divided into 3 groups of 3 competitors each. Each group then had 2 minutes to milk their cows, after which each celebrity's milk bucket quantity was measured. Crowds of onlookers and fans cheered on their favorite celebrities, some even displaying handmade signs such as "This is Udderly Ridiculous" and "Tricks for Teats". The other competitors watched intensely, trying to glean milking tips from the first round of celebrities. In the end, Dinniman, Hunter and Moore reigned supreme and advanced from their preliminary round to the final "milk-off".

As the finals began, the celebrities were intense in their pursuit for the title. Dinniman and Hunter took an early lead when Moore's cow starting "mooving" around, almost upsetting Moore's milk bucket! The final measurement declared Senator Dinniman was the 2010 Celebrity Cowmilker with 4.25 cups of milk collected, Hunter a close second with 2 cups, and Moore coming in 3rd with 1/4 cup. Dinniman will have his name inscribed on the official Kimberton Community Fair Celebrity Cow Milking commemorative milk can.

2010 Log Sawing Contest Winners

The traditional "two man" log sawing contest has been one that folks love to watch every year at Kimberton Fair. Contestants work in teams of two - man/man, man/woman, and woman/woman - to see which team can saw through a log in the shortest elapsed time using a two-person saw. No chain saws here! This contest is a true test of collaboration and endurance!

The 2010 event started with the women's division. 3 teams, all veteran competitors, battled it out for first place. One team included Suzanne Lightcap, 2010 Fair Queen, and her friend Penny Sinquet (former Fair Queen runner-up) who have been participating together in this event for the past 3 years. "It's a tradition with us now!" quipped Lightcap. But the Queens had to settle for 3rd place this year as Laurie Curley and Renie Groff took the win with a time of 39.05 seconds. Close behind was Colleen Duffy and Sherryann Plesse with 43.27 seconds.

The next division consisted of 5 co-ed teams. Unbelievably, Plesse, Curley and Groff all competed again, with only a short time to recuperate from their first round! Curley again took first place with her teammate Wheeler Aman with a time of 28:66 seconds. Plesse and her husband Paul took the stage, armed and ready with hand gloves and all. They were making great time until the saw jammed. Those lost few seconds cost them, putting them in second place with 30:23 seconds. Groff and her husband Darin came in third with 39:36 seconds.

The final round was the men's division of 6 teams. Again, Darin Groff and Wheeler Aman sawed a second time after just having finished the co-ed competition. But crowd favorites - Roger Kolb and his son Zach - retained their annual championship status by sawing through the log in 35:40 seconds. Groff and partner Brian Kappel came in second with a time of 39:48, while Aman and his teammate Robert Young took third with 47:53 seconds.

Hershey Chocolate Baking Competition

Calling all bakers for the 2010 Hershey’s Cocoa Classic baking contest to be held on Monday, July 26 at the KIMBERTON FAIR. The contest is co-sponsored by The Hershey Company and the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs.

Over 110 fairs across Pennsylvania will offer cash prizes for the best cake and tastiest cookies, brownies or bars in the youth category. Pre-registration is required for KIMBERTON's contest which is a preliminary competition to the final Hershey’s Cocoa Classic competition in January at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show. First place winners at the Farm Show will be awarded a cash grand prize of $500 for the winning cake recipe and $250 for the winning cookie, brownie or bar recipe.

3. CAKE RECIPE: A minimum of 1/4 cup of HERSHEY'S COCOA must be used and listed as “HERSHEY'S COCOA” in the cake batter part of the recipe.

4. FROSTING/DRIZZLE: If frosting is chocolate, and also if a chocolate drizzle is used, HERSHEY'S COCOA must be used and listed as “HERSHEY'S COCOA” in the frosting/drizzle parts of the recipe.

5. If candy, chocolate, or flavored baking chips products are used, they must be HERSHEY’S, REESE’S or HEATH branded products, and listed with their brand name in the recipe.” (See www.hersheys.com for complete product list.)

7. Recipe(s) must be submitted with the entry, printed on one side of 8-1/2” x 11” paper. Recipe must list all ingredients, quantities, and the preparation instructions. Entrant’s name, address and phone number must be printed on the back side of all the pages.

8. Refrigeration is not available at the Fair or PA Farm Show. Entries that require refrigeration after baking must indicate so in the recipe. Those entries will not be sold, auctioned or otherwise distributed for consumptionafter judgingfor food safety reasons.

9.      Judging Criteria:

Flavor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                               30 points
       (aroma, taste, good balance of flavorings)

(even grain, evenly baked; free from air pockets)
Outside Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 points

1. Exhibitor must be an individual (age 8 through and including 18 years ONLY) who is a Pennsylvania resident; one entry per person.

3. COOKIE, BROWNIE OR BAR: A minimum of 1/2 cup of HERSHEY'S BAKING CHIPS (any variety) must be used and listed as “HERSHEY’S” plus the name of the specific chip variety in the cookie-brownie-bar batter part of the recipe.

4. FROSTING/DRIZZLE: If chocolate frosting and/or chocolate drizzle is used, HERSHEY'S COCOA must be used and listed as “HERSHEY'S COCOA” in the frosting/drizzle part of the recipe.

6. Entry must be submitted for judging on a doily set on top of a cardboard or a disposable plate.

9.      Judging Criteria:

Flavor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                               30 points
       (aroma, taste, good balance of flavorings)

(even grain, evenly baked; free from air pockets)
Outside Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 points

So dig out that favorite chocolate recipe and give it a try. You could be this year’s Hershey’s Cocoa Classic winner. Pre-registration is required. For more information on entry requirements, contact Karen Dobson at info@kimbertonfair.org .

Fair Searches for Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

KIMBERTON FAIR is once again hosting a Blue Ribbon Apple Pie contest as a preliminary competition to the state competition held in January at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show. Pre-registration is required for Kimberton's contest. The Kimberton winner receives cash and a ribbon, and is then eligible to advance to the finals at the Farm Show where first place will be awarded a cash prize of $160.00. Other cash prizes will also be available for the top five entries.

So dig out that favorite Apple Pie recipe and give it a try. You could end up being the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie winner at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show. Pre-registration is required. For more information on entry requirements, contact Karen Dobson at info@kimbertonfair.org

The Incredible Angel Food Cake

The Angel Food Cake contest is returning to the competitive exhibit lineup at the Kimberton Fair this year on Monday, July 26. Now known as "The INCREDIBLE Angel Food Cake contest" Kimberton's competition is co-sponsored by Pennsylvania Egg Farmers and the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs. Pre-registration is required for Kimberton's contest which is a preliminary competition to the state finals in January at the PA Farm Show.

Baking a cake is a very rewarding area of home cookery. There are two main types of cakes, butter and foam (egg-leavened). Angel food is the classic example of a foam cake. The cake is 100% fat free and, because of the eggs, is a good source of the highest quality protein, as well a source of choline, which is essential to memory and brain development.

Kimberton's winner will receive cash and a ribbon, along with the opportunity to advance to the final competition at the PA Farm Show in January 2011 where the winner will receive $500.00 for first prize.

When entering your cake, which must be made from scratch and using eggs produced in Pennsylvania, you must also submit the recipe.

Fair Honored with Good Neighbor Award

A special presentation was made at the East Pikeland Township's Board of Supervisor's meeting on December 8, 2009.

Mark Hammaker, Chairman of the Environmental Advisory Council, presented Kimberton Fair with a "Good Neighbor” Award in recognition of the Fair's efforts to improve their recycling program.

This award was accepted by Karen Dobson of the Fair Committee and Taylor Goetz, President of Kimberton Fire Company. The Fair would like to thank Weston Solutions for their sponsorship in 2009 that allowed the fair to purchase recycling containers and expand the recycling efforts.

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