All New Heritage Fair 2023 Baking Contest!

Attention all bakers! The McHenry County Historical Society seeks your assistance for its 36th Annual Heritage Fair on Sunday, July 9, 2023. This year's competition will showcase cherished family recipes in four categories: Pies, cakes, cookies/bars, and breads/muffins. We want to hear the story behind your family's favorite recipe! Please tell us about your recipe, why it means so much, and who is the family member who created it, baked it better than anyone, or made it even better! The story accompanying your recipe is an essential aspect of the contest and is required. The contest is held at the West Harmony School House on the museum grounds beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 9, 2023. The public is welcome to attend.

To enter our Family Recipe Baking Contest, complete the online Heritage Fair 2023 Baking Contest registration form, save it to your computer, and email it to kbetke@comcast.net. You can also print and complete entry paperwork and register your baked goods at 9:30 on the event day. Judging will begin at 10:30, and late submissions will not be accepted. For more information, please get in touch with Kathy Betke at kbetke@comcast.net. The historical society may incorporate the submissions into a future cookbook or use them for another purpose.

We are also looking for contest judges for our new baking contest! Please contact Janet@mchenrycountyhistory.org

Winners will be announced immediately after the judging and receive ribbons in each category, and the overall winner will receive a special grand champion prize. All baked goods entered into the contest will be portioned and sold at the Heritage Fair bake sale, with proceeds benefiting the McHenry County Historical Society.

In addition to our baking contest, we also need donated baked goods for the Heritage Fair Bake Sale. Cookies, cakes, quick breads, brownies, bars, tarts, and pies are all part of this crowd-pleasing feature of the festival. Please pre-package your baked goods by plating them into small portions (i.e., a half dozen cookies or two to four brownies/bars on a plate) and cover each plate with plastic wrap. Label baked goods with the name and special instructions, such as gluten-free or the presence of nuts. On the day of the fair, kindly bring your items to the bake sale tent next to the log cabin. 

All proceeds from the Heritage Fair Baking Contest and bake sale will aid the McHenry County Historical Society.