Professional sugar artists Katie Perks and Kasey Chaffin, both of Alva, won the top prizes at the third Nescatunga Arts Festival Sugar Show May 31-June 1 in the Pete and Ruth Leslie Fieldhouse at the Alva Recreation Complex.
This year’s cake/cookie/sugar art competition theme was “Milestones.”
Perks won the $100 Best of Show award from BancCentral, and Chaffin was voted as the People’s Choice winner and was given a $100 gift card to Holder Drug. Perks also won the top award for Sugar Art.
Perks’ entries had the title of “Under the Sea” to mark a 50th birthday milestone. The cake was a three-tiered non-edible dummy cake. The sculpted sugar art piece of a mermaid was made from modeling chocolate, gum paste and fondant and was a companion piece with the 50th birthday cake.
Chaffin’s cake was titled “Oscar the Grouch,” which depicted the celebration of the 55th anniversary of Sesame Street and Oscar the Grouch.
Kate Morelli of Sand Springs entered the decorated cookie category as an Aspiring Artist and won that contest. Her cookies were named “A New Happy Place” showing the milestones theme of several objects related to moving into a new home.
She used various decorating techniques and used muted and uplifting colors to decorate the cookies to represent the home as a place of peace and joy. Citrus flavor also was used to echo the fresh start that moving into a new home provides.
Student Elisabeth Ridgway of Alva won the Aspiring Artist Cake Division with her entry named “Love Postcards,” which was a celebration of a milestone birthday reflected in the postcards that surrounded a surprise package.
In Friday’s new “Bake” portion of the contest, Denaye Prigmore of Alva won the sweet bread and fudge/candies categories. She brought snickerdoodle bread and cinnamon roll fudge.
Helping as judges during the Friday "Bake" section were Ashley Kelly and Beth Guffy.
Joining Guffy as judges for the "Cake" section on Saturday were Kim Bauch and Anne Haight.
To learn more about the contest and other ways to become involved with the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council, contact April Ridgway, chair of the Nescatunga Arts Festival Sugar Show, at (580) 748-4880 or maxandapril@hotmail.com.
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