Several baking competitions will be held at the 49th annual Elizabethtown Fair, which will run from Monday, Aug. 22, to Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Elizabethtown Fairgrounds, located on High Street. Entries will be received at the Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church, 996 E. High St., Elizabethtown, on Aug. 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Entries requiring refrigeration must be noted and will not be sold, auctioned, or otherwise consumed after judging.

Contests open to amateur bakers who are residents of Pennsylvania include the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest; the Incredible Angel Food Cake Contest; the PA Preferred Junior Baking Cookies, Brownies, and Bars Contest; and the Homemade Chocolate Cake Contest. In addition, entries in these contests may not have won first place in their respective contest in any other 2022 fair.

Entries in the 2022 Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest must be submitted in a disposable pan and include at least 60% apples in the filling. The recipe for the pie and pie crust must be submitted with the entry, printed on one side of 8.5-by-11-inch paper, and list ingredients, quantities, and preparation instructions. The entrant's name, address and phone number must be printed on the back side of all pages. Pies will be judged on flavor, filling, crust, overall appearance, and creativity. The Blue Ribbon Apple Pie will be selected from the four first-place apple pies, which will be the first-place one-crust and two-crust pies in the adult and youth divisions.

In the 18th annual Incredible Angel Food Cake Contest, entrants must submit an angel food cake made from scratch and include Pennsylvania produced and packed eggs if possible. The cake entry must be submitted for judging on cardboard and covered. A cellophane-covered box is acceptable. Recipes listing the ingredients and the preparation instructions must be submitted with the entry, printed on one side of 8.5-by-11-inch paper, with the entrant's name, address, and phone number printed on the back side of all pages. Judging criteria will include flavor, inside characteristics, overall appearance, creativity, and topping (icing or decoration).

The PA Preferred Junior Baking Cookies, Brownies, and Bars Contest is open to individuals ages 8 to 18. The entry must be six individual-sized portions of the baked entry item. Entries must be made from scratch and include at least two PA Preferred ingredients. Entries must be submitted for judging on a food-safe, disposable setting. Recipes must be submitted with the entry, printed on one side of 8.5-by-11-inch paper, and list all ingredients, quantities, and preparation instructions with the entrant's name, age, address, and phone number printed on the back of all pages. The PA Preferred ingredients must be listed clearly in the ingredient list, specifying the ingredients and the company that made or grew them. A list of acceptable products is available at http://www.papreferred.com. Judging criteria will include flavor, texture, inside characteristics, outside characteristics, and creativity.

The Homemade Chocolate Cake Contest entry must be a layered chocolate cake, with both the cake and frosting made from scratch. The cake recipe must feature chocolate or cocoa as a main ingredient, and the entire entry must be submitted for judging on cardboard or a disposable plate. Recipes must be submitted with the entry, printed on one side of 8.5-by-11-inch paper, and list all ingredients, quantities, and preparation instructions with the entrant's name, address, and phone number printed on the back side of all pages. Judging criteria will include flavor, texture, inside characteristics, outside characteristics, and frosting.

The Mars Wrigley Confectionery Baking Contest will have three classes: Decorated Cake; Sheet, Layer, and Cupcakes; and Cookies, Brownies, and Bars. Classes are open to adults and youths except for Cookies, Brownies, and Bars, which is open to youths only. All entries must be made from scratch and include Mars products in all batters. Mars products must be used on all decorated entries. A recipe must be submitted with all entries, including decorated cakes. Decorated entries will be judged on appearance, creativity, and use of product. All other entries will be judged on flavor, appearance, and use of product.

A Best of Show Decorated Cake Contest will also be held. The winner of the contest will be selected from all first-place decorated cakes in the youth and adult divisions entered in the 2022 Elizabethtown Fair.

Prizes will be awarded, and entries not requiring refrigeration will be auctioned off at the annual Baked Goods Auction on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. Winners for most contests will advance to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg in January. For more information, call Martene at 717-270-9232 or Morgan at 717-926-6134.

To learn more specifics for each baking contest or for details about the fair, visit http://www.etownfair.com and click on 2022 Premium Book under Exhibitor Materials.