So I decide to enter a cake into our rinky dink county fair. I make the cake, and take it to get it registered. All is well, and I am told to come back in a few hours, after judging. My daughter and I return later that evening, and while I'm checking the tag on my cake we are approached by an elderly woman who politely asks..." Is that your cake". I told her yes, and she proceeded to tell me that she really wanted to give it a ribbon, but she couldn't due to Fair rules and regulations. I was kind of stumped...and told her that I didn't understand. She then procedes to tell me that my cake was disqualified because I used a Box mix. This really confused me, because I read the rules and regulations thoroughly, and the category I entered was for "decorated cakes - NOT CUT". I interpreted this to mean that they were judging the decorations ONLY, and it did not specify that it had to be made from scratch. I pointed this out to her, and she agreed with me, but her hands were tied.
Well, if that wasn't frustrating enough, My DD and I were waiting for the Auction to begin (They auction the cakes after judging), and we overheard
the second place winner tell someone that she used Betty Crocker cake mix for hers!!! I just started laughing uncontrolably.
On the brighter side, everyone was ooooing and Ahhing over my cake, and many people voiced their opinions about it not having a ribbon. That made me feel much better. The cake sold for $140 at the Auction, but I only receive 25% of that. Strange that it was good enough for them to make money off of, but not good enough to judge.
The elderly woman who first approached me also informed me that she was a "professional" cake decorator, and told me that I should NOT have put the flowers on the top of my cake because it didn't match the patriotic theme......but other than that, I did a remarkable job. Wasn't quite sure how to take her! Anyway, here is a picture of the cake.
P.S. the winning cake was baked in a disposable aluminum pan, with only
the top iced with a few flowers and "Clermont County Fair 2006"
Written on it. Looked like an assembly line decorating job!
sherry, you are a winner in my book..you know what is more important? to be praised by our fellow cc members..who knows more?the lady who does not know what she's talking about or a fellow cc member who knows more? i am not talking about myself though since i am still a beginner. 
...but this i can give you 
... 
Hmmm... I am also curious what the "professional" would have thought to be more appropriate, because I think your flowers top the design of your cake quite nicely! Therefore, I am dubbing myself as a judge, and hereby present you with a well deserved blue ribbon! 
Sorry you didn't win, I know how you feel. Your cake was beautiful. The flowers went very well with the cake...that lady doesn't know what she is talking about. I donated a cake to our town's watermelon festival and made 3-D watermelon slices including salt and salt shaker and a spoon, and it only received $125.00 for the auction, the highest bid was on a bikini cake that was half the size of mine and probably took a 1/3 time to decorate and it won with a $525.00 bid, nobody really knows what a judge or a bidder will do. Keep plugging along and keep doing your wonderful cakes.
Hmmm... I am also curious what the "professional" would have thought to be more appropriate, because I think your flowers top the design of your cake quite nicely! Therefore, I am dubbing myself as a judge, and hereby present you with a well deserved blue ribbon!
LOL
Yeah big time GRRRR When shite like that happens, eh? Even if we know yours rocks big time and should have gotten first Still one of those things when stuff like that happens to me I wonder why I even bother sometimes.
Next year you wont bother putting 'cake mix' on your tag, right? LOL
What a good sport you are!!! I would have lodged a complaint that my cake was disqualified b/c it was a cake mix & the winner's was also a cake mix.
Your cake is beautiful. They obviously don't know what they are talking about. And the "professional" decorator? Yeah - maybe she was 50 years ago........ you said she was old, right? Prob. has no idea how cake decorating has advanced.......
It looks great to me. I plan to enter a cake this next week in the fair and their requirement for a fancy decorated is that it does not need to be real. Usually they don't cut into the cake so why does it matter if it is a mix? The rest of the cake entries can not be a mix. How did they know you used a mix? That sounds crazy to me. Sounds like you were a good sport and despite not placing word of mouth will get business for you--that is proabably more valuable.
I am not shocked that they were more than willing to sell your cake--more money for them......
I love the roses on top. If it was a decorating contest why did the cake have to be from scratch? 
And if the rules didn't say it they weren't there.
Because I have a tendency to be something that rhymes with witch about some things I wouldn't have let them auction my cake to make themselves money if my cake wasn't good enough to be judged. 
That's just me but I would have gathered up my cake and taken it to a nursing home or something even if I lost out on some money too.
As for a cake in the pan winning maybe one of the judges was looking for a way to disqualify you so a friend or relative won.
Hmmm... I am also curious what the "professional" would have thought to be more appropriate, because I think your flowers top the design of your cake quite nicely! Therefore, I am dubbing myself as a judge, and hereby present you with a well deserved blue ribbon!
She told me that criss-crossing 2 flags into the top of the cake would have been much better! I told her that I thought it was being judged on decorating, therefore I was showing my decorating skills by making the roses. (wouldn't take much skill to stick 2 flags into the cake!)
Oh well, you live and you learn I guess!
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