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 four 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 PA State Association of County Fairs (PSACF).

PA's INCREDIBLE! Angel Food Cake contest is co-sponsored by Pennsylvania's Egg Farmers and the PSACF. Eggs produced and packed in Pennsylvania are requested to be used if possible, and 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 Cookies, Brownies and Bars contest. The goal of this event 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, and they must be clearly labeled on the recipe. The ingredients' packaging labels do not need to be included.

All baking contests require that recipes - listing all ingredients, quantities and the preparation instructions - be submitted with the entry, printed on one side of 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 will be eligible to participate in the state competitions at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg in January 2023. Cash prizes will be awarded.

Entries must be delivered to the Solanco Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 13, between noon and 9 p.m. For more detailed information, refer to the fair premium book or visit http://www.solancofair.org and click on "Fair Competition" under "Solanco Fair Info." The baking contests are Department 15, Home Produced Products.

For more information, contact co-chairpersons Liz Henry at 717-330-0728 or Erin Kilgore at 717-341-8203.