Four baking contests will return to the Solanco Fair this year - the Apple Pie, Angel Food Cake, Chocolate Cake and youth-only Cookies, Brownies and Bars competitions. All are open to Pennsylvania residents.

The Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest requires at least 60% of the pie filling to be apples and it is sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs (PSACF).

PA's INCREDIBLE! Angel Food Cake contest is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania's Egg Farmers and the PSACF. Pennsylvania produced and packed eggs are requested to be used if possible. Bakers should look for the PEQAP or Pennsylvania packaging dates on the carton.

The Homemade Chocolate Cake contest is sponsored by the PSACF. The entry must be a layered chocolate cake and must be frosted. Both the cake and the icing are to be made from scratch, and the cake must feature chocolate or cocoa as the main ingredient.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's PA Preferred program sponsors the Junior Baking Cookies, Brownies and Bars contest. The goal of this contest is to encourage young people across the commonwealth to participate in Pennsylvania's agricultural fairs by showcasing locally grown and produced products in their contest entries. All participants must be between the ages of 8 and 18. Each entry must include two PA Preferred ingredients; they must be clearly labeled on the recipe, but the packaging labels do not need to be included.

All baking contests require that recipes - listing all ingredients and quantities and the preparation instructions - be submitted with the entry, printed on one side of an 8.5-by-11-inch paper. On the back side of the recipe, the entrant's name, address, phone number and exhibitor number must be included.

The certified winners of these contests are eligible to participate in the state competitions at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg in January 2024 with cash prizes.

Also, new to the baked goods department this year is a Best of Show contest with cash prizes. There will be two winners in the adult categories and two in the youth categories. This contest excludes the four previously mentioned special baking contests, as they have their own sponsors and prizes. The best of show contest is sponsored by Maplehofe Dairy.

Entries must be delivered to the Solanco Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 19, between noon and 9 p.m. For more detailed information, refer to the fair premium books or http://www.solancofair.org in the "Solanco Fair Info" tab, in the "Fair Book/Entry Information" section under the "Home Produced Products/Dept. 15" category. For more details, contact co-chairpersons Liz Henry at 717-330-0728 or Erin Kilgore at 717-341-8203.