LEONARDTOWN, Md. (Sept. 22, 2009)—The 2009 St. Mary’s County Fair is hosting a variety of events to celebrate Maryland’s 375th birthday, including a cake decorating contest, an essay reading, and Maryland’s 375th Birthday Party. The fair will be held at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds in Leonardtown from Thursday, September 24 through Sunday, September 27.
On Friday, September 24, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., students from the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center will face-off in a birthday cake decorating contest. The winning birthday cake will be chosen by a panel of judges including Doris Jenkins, of Carroll County, a judge of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest at the Maryland State Fair; Anita Kriner, wedding cake designer and owner of Anita’s Cakes in Great Mills; and Peter Schmitter, owner and pastry chef of Wildewood Pastry Shop in California.
Then, the winner of the Turning Points in St. Mary’s County Historical Paper Contest will be announced and will read his/her essay on Friday at 2 p.m. The essay contest encouraged middle and high school students to think about local history by asking students to write an essay on a turning point that caused change within St. Mary’s County. The contest was sponsored by the St. Mary’s County Department of Economic & Community Development and St. Mary’s County Public Schools. The winner will receive a savings bond from the St. Mary’s County Historical Society.
The festivities will continue on Saturday, September 25, with nearly a dozen songwriters, including Robin Guyther, Ben Connelly, Gary Rue, Krys Baker, Patty Dorsch, Scott Harshna, Catfish Joe, David Flood, Lissie Deere, David Norris, Carol Schachter, and Joe Norris performing original songs about Southern Maryland. The musical performances will start at the parade reviewing stand in front of the auditorium at 11:30 a.m.
On Sunday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m., the 2009 Queen of Tolerance and her court will be hosting Maryland’s 375th Birthday Party in the new auditorium. The Queen and her court will cut and serve samples of the birthday cakes from the cake decorating contest.
The cover of the 2009 St. Mary’s County Fair guide also highlights Maryland’s 375th birthday with a composite of some of the student drawings entered into the cover contest that portray symbols of Maryland. The students who contributed were Becca Frazier and Robert Raley, from Margaret Brent Middle School; Chris Sydnor, Jenifer Schmidt, Stephanie Machina, and Kate Hardman, from Little Flower School; and Chris Forte, from Father Andrew White School.