Well, I just got home from my cake decorating contest in Louisville. I was so excited to be invited. It was Derby eve, a charity event that was supposed to be a big thing with celebrities and all. The second floor of this venue was supposed to be a cake decorating contest where the theme was "Hats off to our American Heroes" and the participants had 3 categories: Ladies Derby Hats, American Military Hats, and Largest Hats. So I did 2 entries, Ladies Derby Hats and American Military Hats. I work on these things for 4 whole days (and I do mean whole days... sunup to sundown, including baking and decorating and all.) I even bake 2 cakes to be eaten. THe event planner tells me there will be media coverage and huge prizes. The first prize is 2 tickets to Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks for 2008, then there is 2nd and 3rd prize of baking equipment and such, then the "Choice" award of the guest's favorite entry wins an electronic device. Every participant gets a tax receipt for their charitable contribution.
I entered so I could do a small competition against those who have businesses around my area. Louisville is 2 hours from me, but I figured some bakeries around me would be going. So I spend all this time doing these cakes and travel to Louisville. When I get there, I am informed that I am the only one who showed up!! Every other invited baker cancelled, so I get the grand prize. Now, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, because the prize is nice, but I wasn't in this for the prize. I wanted to compete, to evaluate my skill against those in my area and see how I stacked up. So I feel that all this effort was wasted.
I stayed for the gala since I already had a hotel booked for the night and had a friend and her DH coming down for the formal event. They did have my cakes up on pedestals with other desserts around them, but no signage. Also, she had promised to auction off my cakes to make $$ for the charity. The event ended at 12:30, and by 11pm nobody had made any mention of them. No announcements of the cake auction. She kept avoiding me all night, so my cakes probably ended up in the garbage, and who knows if she'll send me tickets to the derby for next year or not.
I did manage to corner her and thank her for the extra tickets for my friend, but when I tried to ask about the auction or what else was going on, she shushed me to talk to another person. She tossed out that I was going to the Derby next year, but I don't care about that....I wanted a competition! I feel very like I wasted my time, and my friend's time. A 2 hour drive for a formal dress party that had free booze but the food ran out often and what they did have was cold. No attention was paid the cake thing. Oh, and another hat cake mysteriously appeared, but it was sporting real ribbon and silk flowers, which were expressly forbade by the rules.
I'll attatch the cake to this if I can.
Thanks for listening to me vent. I'm going to go lie down now.... 
You poor thing! I know you wanted to compete, I totally understand the 'win by default' thing. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, but your cakes are beautiful and you have no reason to think otherwise. I wonder why everyone cancelled? Did you ever find out? Hopefully you will get your tickets so it won't be a total waste of your time..
I soooo love your hats they are really authentic looking. Sorry you didnt get to compete but at least you can use the photos of these two for your portfolio which judging by the look of these you should see some business just by showing off the pics. Good luck with it all
WOW, 
your hat cakes are so cool!
So sorry that you did not get to compete. What a let down 
Well all I can say is that you were ready and you did a great job. 
Hopefully the next time there is such an event you get to really compete. 
Even if it did not happen you you were so ready! 
I would have voted for you hands down.
Good Luck next time.
I'm so sorry about there being no competition. Perhaps the event planner ticked off all the other contestants and that's why no one else showed up. You hats are beautiful. Stay proud and try to enjoy the prize.
If the planner treated the other contestants on the phone like she did you in person, I wouldn't have showed up either!
I would have maybe showed up to giver a black eye if she was really nasty!
Although the whole situation sinks, be proud of your work! You did a great job. I love the ladies hat. Very well done!
Excellent job on the cakes!!
It's such a shame about the disorganized, disappointing cake competition. Is there a way you can write to the organization that hosted the event? If I were part of that organization, I would want to know that one of my committee members was dropping the ball!
Don't let it get you down! Your work is awesome!
Excellent job on the cakes!!
It's such a shame about the disorganized, disappointing cake competition. Is there a way you can write to the organization that hosted the event? If I were part of that organization, I would want to know that one of my committee members was dropping the ball!
Don't let it get you down! Your work is awesome!
I agree...perhaps you could find out what happened by contacting whoever organzied the event. Your cakes are lovely...the other competitors saw them and ran!!!
I third that... If you want to find out why, then contact the committee person who was in charge of that part of the whole event.
In most cases, there are committee members assigned to each part of a large event.
I'm sure the person in "Overall" charge would be interested to know what happened. Normally the day/night of the main person is so busy with overall program, the rely on subcommittee members to take care of business and have no idea what is going on until the next day or days later.
With such a pretigeous events as a horse race galla, I'm sure the person in charge had no idea.
It wouldn't hurt to ask. Secondly, if that part of the event was cancelled, the subcommittee person should have contacted you the day before or well in advance for you to make up your mind to attend at all.
Secondly, the person you were dealing with kept giving you the run around. And last but not least, the cake that showed up with ribbons, I would like to know what that is all about!
For me, it would boil down to principle. I sound petty, but I would like to know.
You don't sound petty. I feel the same way. However, the person I was dealing with WAS the person in charge. The founder of the charity, the event planner, the top dog.
I tried to talk to her, and she kept holding up one finger and walking away. However, I observed her talking at length to several people during the evening. I felt really abandoned. I know the charity wasn't about me, and I was supposed to be a charitable contributor. However, most charities treat their contributors much better. And I know the last other decorator to drop out did so that morning, but I would have thought that if she was down to 2 of us a week beforehand that she would have cancelled so we didn't have to go through all that effort for nothing.
I did get to dress up in my brown formal and my DH wore a tux. I had mint juleps and heard some good music. But the whole purpose behind the week leading up to this was moot. And I am sure all my hard work either got thrown away or just taken home and eaten. WHich is better than thrown away, but still.....I was hoping they'd be auctioned off for big bucks. I did get to see some lady pointing to the cakes and making her DH take pics, then she picked up my card and kept it. So I know somebody was impressed, even if the event organizer wasn't.
I can tell you I won't be going this year, even if I'm invited. She just totally rubbed me the wrong way. I'd rather go embarrass myself at the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show. At least there is a real competition there. Even if I lose abysmally I was at least in the running at some point. And someone will look at my work and pay some attention to it. 
The thing is, I don't know how to express my irritation with this whole thing without coming off as petty and bitter to her. The last thing I need is negative word of mouth from an event planner who knows thousands of people, you know? Even if it is in Kentucky. Someday I may be able to sell outside of Ohio, and I live within 30min of the Kentucky border.
Thanks for all the support, girls. I knew you would understand!
That guy Chris who was on "Life Goes On" and the boxer somebody Norton who broke Mohammed Ali's jaw . Some other foot ball players, but I didn't know them. Other than that, nobody huge. I wish you had come, we could have commiserated over mint juleps!
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