COFFEYVILLE, KAN. (August 12, 2019) – The next generation of bakers got to show off their stuff during the bake sale at the 111th annual Inter-State Fair in Coffeyville, Kansas.
Ninety-seven items in three categories: 4-H, open class and educational, were up for auction during the bake sale, with young people doing much of the mixing, baking and decorating.
For Addison Smith, baking is part of a family tradition. Alongside her mom, Chrissy Vanwinkel Smith, the fourteen-year-old Coffeyville resident has made numerous braided breads, with the one being sold at the bake sale a savory bread.
“It has garlic powder in the dough,” Smith explained. “The dough is a simple yeast bread dough,” and about five minutes before it was done baking, she brushed melted butter and garlic powder on top and sprinkled mozzarella and parmesan cheese on it.
Smith also had two other items in the bake sale. Her Niemann Marcus chocolate chip cookies sold for $115, but her favorite was her banana nut bread, a family specialty that she has eaten since she was young. “I’ve grown up eating it,” she said. “It’s one of my favorite breads.” She and her mom add pecans to the batter and mash the bananas in bigger chunks, to provide more of a banana flavor.
Smith loves baking. “I like being in the kitchen, getting to experiment, smelling the baked goods, and tasting them, of course.”
She will be a freshman at Field Kinley High School this fall and plans on becoming a property lawyer, in part because she doesn’t mind arguing. “That’s one of the reasons I get in trouble at home,” she laughed. “I am strongly opinionated.”
Smith’s special braid bread sold for $85; her banana nut bread went for $110.
Joel LeLaCheur may not have the experience that Addison Smith has in the kitchen, but he has plenty of enthusiasm.
The nine-year-old, a resident of South Coffeyville, Okla., made a carrot cake that sold for $245.
This was the second year for him to enter baked goods in the fair. Last year, he made a S’Mores cake, using a blowtorch to melt the marshmallow decorations, which was a lot of fun, he said.
This year’s carrot cake took about four hours to make, which he did on two different days.
In addition to his cake, LeLaCheur also has two lambs he will show on August 14. They are named Bronc and Redemption: Bronc, because that lamb wanted to buck when he first came to the LeLaCheurs, and Redemption, after a video game.
He has big plans for the money he’s earned from the bake sale. His parents, Aaron and Melissa, make him save some of it for his livestock show account, but they let him spend some for fun. He’s planning on spending it on his new puppy, Piper, a Pyrenees.
Joel will be a fourth grade student this fall, and when he grows up, he’d like to do a variety of things: be a bull rider and a steer roper, build his own monster truck, and own a gun shop.
Lowrey Bruce had one of the more uncommon recipes at the bake sale.
He made Saskatoon Berry Bars, which sold for $110.
The surprise ingredient, Saskatoon berry jam, comes from his grandparents, who live in Saskatchewan. According to Lowrey, Saskatoon berries taste a lot like blueberries.
This is the second year the ten-year-old has baked for the bake sale. His bars won grand champion in the 4-H division; he is a member of the Fawn Creek 4-H Club.
While he’s at the fair, the Caney resident loves to do the bungee jump, ride the mechanical bull, and “run around with my buddies,” he said. He also likes to take in the tractor pull and bull riding with his parents, Austin and Tiffany.
When he grows up, he’d like to be a team roper and tie-down roper.
Last year’s bake sale brought in $8,995. The auctioneers for this year’s bake sale were Marty Hill and Dale Baker. Superintendent was Janet Sandusky.
The 111th annual Inter-State Fair and Rodeo kicks off on August 13 and runs through August 17, with grandstand events each night and activities during the day. August 13 features the Outlaw Tractor Pull; August 14 is the LJ Jenkins Bull Riding. Pro rodeo is the featured event for August 15-16, and the demo derby wraps up the fair on August 17.
Tickets are available online at www.FairandRodeo.com and at the gate.
For more information, call the Coffeyville Chamber of Commerce at 620.251.2550.
