Story by Colby Dunn | Photos by Angelina Bellebuono

The midway was muddied and the rain continued to patter down, but the cakes, cookies and candies still rose and lambs and goats rose to the occasion for the annual 4-H fair competitions.

4-H had to forgo the popular dairy heifer show this year, drowned out by the rain and its accompanying mud, but the lamb and goat competitions went ahead and the annual bake-off, arts and crafts, photography and poster competitions were successful, as well.

Thursday's bake-off featured five categories - cakes, cookies, candy, decorated cakes, and Splendalicious, a sugar-free category - and a range of entries from the youngest cloverleaf competitors to the senior category entries.
Phyllis Martin, a first-year bake-off judge and also the Morgan County Schools nutrition director, was taken with a fluorescent red-velvet cake that she cited as her favorite. Filed under surprising tastes was a lemon pound cake, Martin said.

"It was good," she said, "but unexpected."

The ever-popular bake-off, which attracted 37 entries this year, has been a staple of the annual fair for years.
"It's probably been going on as long as the fair has been going on," said Laura Rolader, program assistant for Morgan County 4-H, "at least 10 to 15 years."

The lamb show has also long been a fair standard, according to county extension agent Bobby Smith.
"We have had a lamb show since I've been here since 2000," said Smith, "and probably 10 years before that."
Smith said that many of this year's competitors have parents who showed lambs through 4-H, as well.
The goat category, however, is a relative newcomer to the scene, started three years ago when 4-H goat projects were started in Morgan County.

The 2009 show featured 17 lambs and 12 goats, showing in two categories - showmanship, which tests the exhibitor's ability, and market weight class, where the animals themselves are judged.
Winners:

Pre-Club (first grade) Lamb Showmanship was the first class, in which Luke Wallace (Newton 4-H) was first and Dru Hunt (Morgan 4-H) was second. In the Third and Sixth Grade Lamb Showmanship class Ben Porter (Morgan 4-H) was first and Will Woodard (Morgan 4-H) was second place. In Seventh and Eighth Grade Lamb Showmanship, Claire Woodard (Morgan 4-H) was first and Will Porter (Morgan 4-H) was second.

In Goat Showmanship, Pre-Club (second, third, and fourth grade) Showmanship class: Brant Kiepper (Morgan 4-H) was first, Mary Beth Smith (Morgan 4-H) was second , Natalie Baddour (Morgan 4-H) was third and Garrett Alliston (Morgan 4-H) was fourth. In Class 2, Fifth and Seventh Grade Showmanship, McKayla Alliston (Morgan 4-H) was first , Kevin Smith (Morgan 4-H) was second  and Neil Smith (Morgan 4-H) was third.

In Lamb Weight Class 1, Luke Wallace’s lamb was first, Dru Hunt’s lambs placed second and fourth, and Ben Porter’s lamb was third. In Lamb Weight Class 2, Will Porter’s lambs placed first and fourth, Will Woodard’s lamb was second, and Dru Hunt’s lamb was third. In Lamb Weight Class 3, Ben Porter’s lamb was first, Will Porter’s lamb placed second, Will Woodard’s lamb placed third, Claire Woodard’s lamb placed fourth, and Luke Wallace’s lamb was fifth. In Lamb Weight Class 4, Claire Woodard’s lambs were placed first and fourth, Will

Woodard’s lamb was second and Ben Porter’s Lamb was third. In the Championship Drive, Ben Porter’s winner in Weight Class 3 was named Grand Champion and Will Porter’s winner in Weight Class 2 was the Reserve Champion.

In Goat Weight Class 1, Kevin Smith’s goat placed first, Mckayla Alliston’s goat placed second, and Garrett Alliston’s goats were third and fourth. In Goat Weight Class 2, Mary Beth Smith’s goat was first, McKayla Alliston’s goat was second and Natalie Baddour’s goat was third. In Goat Weight Class 3, Brant Kiepper’s goats were first and second and Neil Smith’s goat was third. In the Goat Championship Drive, Brant Kiepper’s Weight Class 3 winner was named Grand Champion and Mary Beth Smith’s Weight Class 2 winner was the Reserve Champion.