DEXTER, Maine — They come in all sizes and shapes. Some are hard enough to be doorstops and others heavy enough to serve as boat anchors, but despite their looks or contents, fruitcakes have had an appeal over the centuries at Christmas.
Those who make the annual fruit- and spice-laden cakes are being encouraged to enter their creations at the second annual Fruitcake Fanciers Bake-off set for noon Saturday, Dec. 12, at Abbott Memorial Library.
While it may seem unusual for the library to sponsor such an event, librarian Liz Breault is always looking for ways to publicize the library and encourage more participation.
“I’ve been wanting to do it for years because everyone eats fruitcakes and have all these jokes about it,” Breault said Friday. She hopes to build onto the success of last year’s event, which had several entries. “I expected them all to be like the traditional fruitcake, but they were all very different and excellent,” she said of last year’s entries.
One was made with no sugar and another had icing on it. Participants came from as far away as Burnham for the event, she said.
Contestants must register by Dec. 5.
The homemade fruitcakes will be judged by three area judges at 1 p.m. and after that will be sliced and served at a holiday open house, according to Breault. Cakes will be judged on presentation, taste and texture, she said. Tea and punch will be served.
Cash prizes of $25, $15 and $10 will be awarded to the first-, second- and third-place entries respectively. To further tie the event to the library, Breault said the prize money would be doubled if the recipe was taken from an Abbott Memorial Library cookbook.
This particular event, which is one of Breault’s favorites, helps create a good, friendly image of the library in the minds of the public, she said.
“People get a different view of the library. It’s not just a collection of dusty old books,” she said. In addition, they get to sample some tasty sweets.
For more information, call 924-7292.