The Weide kitchen is bound to get a little messy today.
Three youths, from ages 9 to 18, will cram into the galley kitchen to bake a total of 18 dishes as entries for the Allen County Fair.
It won?t take long before they?re covered in flour. Inevitably, someone ? our bet is Katie Weide, the eldest at 18 ? will instigate a brief food fight. Their aunt, Sarah Weide, will referee.
Also, inevitably, will be a lot of laughter.
When their father, Andy Weide, comes home from work, he?ll say: ?What happened to my kitchen??
That?s been the routine for the Weide family for several years. This year, Katie and her brother, Ethan, age 15, will be joined by Haliegh Grieshaber, age 9, the daughter of Andy?s girlfriend, Felicia Feneck. Haliegh joined 4-H this year after seeing all the fun Katie and Ethan have in the Prairie Dell 4-H Club and at the fair.
Haliegh planned to wake up at 5 a.m. to get started on her seven food items.
?I?m making unicorn stuff,? she boasted, excited about her plans. ?My gift basket theme is unicorn and I?m making a rainbow cake.?
Also on tap are bundt cakes, banana bread, honey oat bread and cookie bars.
They?ll bake all day and possibly into Thursday morning before taking their items to the fair to be judged.
Their expectations are set high.
Katie and Ethan have taken many of their 4-H projects to the state fair, in both foods and clothing contests. This is the first year Haliegh is eligible for the state contest, but she?s already won a purple ribbon for the daisy dress she constructed. It featured a keyhole back, fastened by a daisy button. That was her favorite part.
Ethan and Katie helped ready her for Tuesday evening?s Fashion Revue, including modeling tips. They spent quite a bit of time working on ?her triangle,? the steps she needed to take to perfectly exhibit her clothes.
?That was the fun part,? Ethan said.
Because it?s Haliegh?s first year, she?s been a little anxious in preparing for the fair.
?Patience is a virtue,? Katie told her.
Katie Weide shows off a garment at Tuesday’s Allen County Fair Style Revue.
Ethan, who joined 4-H when he was 7, participated in buymanship every year except for this year, and competed at state last year. Both he and Katie said they joined 4-H at the urging of their grandmother, who died five years ago, and their aunt. Sarah grew up as a 4-H club member and previously served on the Allen County Fair Board.
Ethan said he enjoyed the time spent working on projects first with his grandmother and later with his aunt. They taught him to sew and cook.