Many who go to the Shippensburg Community Fair each July will let you know they cross simply for the massive array of ingredients they could bask in at some point of the week.
Whether they are regarding the countless selections at the nonprofit meals stands or the yummy baked items entered into the Home Products Division contests, many truthful-goers can’t get sufficient of the offerings made with the aid of talented community participants.
Tuesday night, July 23, will truely fulfill any candy teeth as crowds of human beings flock to the Home Products buildings to bid pinnacle dollars to indulge in the array of homemade sweets.
The Baked Goods contests get underway among nine a.M. And noon Tuesday as the competition carries out their entries for judging. More than two dozen volunteers will help prepare the room, lining entries of pies, desserts, cookies, cakes, and candies along with lengthy tables.
Jodie Popio, the co-chair of the baked goods department, is one of the many volunteers who stay up for seeing and smelling all of these deliciously created objects each yr.
“There are such a lot of talented bakers obtainable who input a huge range of items each yr, that it always amazes me after I see folks making their way to the registration line with their sweets in tow,” Popio added. “The Shippensburg Fair is small in assessment to where I got here from. However, it’s far this sort of near-knit community, and to look how anyone helps the fair and every different, I assume simply exquisite!”
“There are so many specific objects entered in the contests each yr, for example, inexperienced tomato pie. I had never heard of that before I moved right here,” she continued. “In addition, to peer all the beautifully embellished desserts and cookies and all types of pies that humans bake is quite neat, too.”
Originally from Lock Haven, Popio stated she is used to seeing Lemon Sponge and Mince Meat pies and other Pennsylvania Dutch favorites that she grew up with, consisting of sticky buns and selfmade rolls. Having participated in other local and country fairs, she is acquainted with the friendly opposition all, and sundry enjoys; however, she said she believes the feel of community and friendship at some point of the week encourages parents to participate and come to be concerned with the fair itself. “Everyone is so pleasant and so inclined to jump right in and do something that needs to be executed to make the complete procedure pass smoothly, and to me, that in reality speaks volumes about the honest itself and people who work so hard to make the honest successful each yr.”
Popio has been a volunteer for the past 10 years; thank you to her neighbor, Vivian Diller. “Vivian invited me to come along with her while we first moved here from Ohio. She has been a volunteer for gosh, probable 25 years or more,” Popio defined. “I become happy to move and check things out that first 12 months, and I guess you can say I turned into hooked due to the fact I’ve been going ever on account that!”
She said she surely enjoys seeing pals that she’s made over time, people she doesn’t see in the yr’s course besides at truthful time. “It honestly is a lot of amusing, and to see all the proficient humans we have inside the community 12 months after yr is just top-notch!” She said there are such many extraordinary categories to go into that there certainly is something for anybody.
“Whether you’re into baking, crafting, gardening, stitching, or photography, you may find your niche at the fair.” She additionally likes the fact that special committees encourage new ideas. “Two years in the past, we introduced a gluten-free class to the baked goods entries,” she cited. “We had someone input a gluten-free object in the competition but didn’t have another gluten-free gadget at the time, so we concept that due to the number of folks who can’t have gluten in their diets, it might be a terrific concept to add this category, so we did.” She said this gives those who may not be able to participate inside the beyond an opportunity to participate within the future.”
Pope encourages every person to prevent by and check out the fair, especially the Home Products homes. She said it’s miles without a doubt neat to see how many skills there are within the community, and it is also a wonderful manner to support the honest and be a part of the revel in that only comes around once a year!
