Alva Review-Courier -

Katie Perks and April Decker, both of Alva, won the top awards for a second time, just in reverse, in the second Nescatunga Arts Festival Sugar Show June 3 held in the commons area of the Health and Sports Science Education Building on the campus of Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva.

Perks won the $100 Best of Show award from BancCentral, and Decker was voted as the Alva State Bank People's Choice $100 winner from among nearly 100 votes cast in the contest.

Perks, who was entered in the Professional division in all four categories, won first place in the non-edible cake category with a three-tier round dummy cake decorated with fondant and fondant/gum paste decorations and edible sugar accents titled "Into the Woods." Her first-place award in the cookie category was vanilla sugar cookies with royal icing titled "Woodland Wonderland." In the cupcakes category, she tied with fellow professional Kasey Chaffin of Alva with her butter pecan flavored cupcakes with a variety of edible sugar frostings titled "The Magical Forest." Chaffin's cupcakes were titled "Bits and Pieces."

Decker, who was entered in the Aspiring Sugar Artist division in three categories, won first in the non-edible cake category with a two-tiered wedding cake titled "Love in Bloom," and the cupcakes category with "Monkey'n Around."

Chaffin also won the professional edible cake category with "A Head Above."

Professional Sugar Show Artist Katie Perks (third from left) was named the BancCentral Best of Show winner in the Second Sugar Show June 3 as part of the Nescatunga Arts Festival. Judges joining Perks are Tamre McGinnis, Anne Haight and Kim Baugh.

Chelsa Shippen of Anthony, Kansas, who entered the Aspiring Sugar Artist division, was the winner of the edible cake category in that division with "Party Till the Cows Come Home," a five-tiered cookies and cream sponge with a cherry compote filling and vanilla icing. The bottom tier was half sunset/sunrise with farm silhouettes and half stars and stripes. The second tier was cherry pie; the third tier was a handkerchief/paisley; the fourth tier was a sunflower and wheat-filled basket; and the fifth tier was popcorn with a few cows and balloons sporadically placed on the cake.

In the student division, Chloe Lehr of Alva won in the edible cake category with a two-layered Candy Land-themed vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and various bright, colored décor and sweets.

Lawson Ream of Alva won the student cupcake division with "Cupcake Flowers."

Also entered in this second contest were student Elisabeth Ridgway of Alva in the cake category and aspiring sugar artist Amanda Metcalf of Enid in the cupcake category. Two others had entered but were unable to attend.

To learn more about the contest, contact Ridgway at (580) 917-0101 or [email protected]. A photo gallery from the 2023 contest is available at http://www.nescatunga.org/sugar-show.