A piece of cake
CONNOQUENESSING TWP. — The Butler Farm Show baked goods auction has been going on so long that nobody has a definite answer as to when it started. However, Farm Show volunteers estimate it’s been over 30 years since the tradition began.
This year’s auction took place in the Dairy Pavilion at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4, before a crowd of around 50 people.
Each year, all youth and adult baked goods entered in the fair are auctioned, farm products volunteer Kaitlin Claypoole said. Proceeds go straight to the farm products building for renovations and maintenance, such as new shelving, she said.
“We have everything from cakes to cupcakes to plain old bread,” Claypoole said.
She also claimed this was the first year for the 4-H Kids Who Bake auction. The new addition meant a section of the auction was dedicated to members of Butler County 4-H and their baked goods. Proceeds from their items went directly to the baker.
“Our members are really excited about the chance to showcase what they’ve learned in 4-H,” Butler County 4-H educator Karley Mishler said before the event.
She also claimed the auction helped teach children about entrepreneurship.
Auctioneer John Huey II, of Slippery Rock, helps out with the event each year. He has been in the profession for 48 years and said the secret to fast-talking is “years and years of practice.”
“It’s just fun with the kids,” he said of the event.
Child bakers presented each entry to a crowd of bidders, showing off their own work if they happened to be members of 4-H.
Huey fired off numbers in rapid succession, selling brownies, fruitcake, pie, cookies, peanut brittle and much more. The auction and competition both featured items that were sugar and gluten free as well.
“Talk about a chocolate cake that would go good with Marburger milk,” Huey said. “My, oh my, oh my.”
During the auction, a woman sang the national anthem in a nearby arena. Huey took off his hat as all audience members rose to listen with hands over their hearts.
The highest bid went to 4-H member Lily Callen, who earned $300 for her first-place dutch apple pie.
Baker Sarah Bupp, 17, of Butler, entered at least six items in the baked goods competition. Bupp also boasts the title of this year’s Pennsylvania Rabbit Queen.
She said she is most proud of her carrot cake, which was auctioned for over $100.
“I bake at home sometimes, but I mostly make things for the farm show,” she said. “I find recipes and tweak until they taste right.”
Annabelle Chipps is a Slippery Rock University graduate and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns.
2025 Farm Show: what to know if you go
Cost: Admission is $10 per person. Free admission for those age 3 or younger. Includes rides, free parking and special shows each day. Thursday and Friday night, $5 grandstand wristbands.
Where: 625 Evans City Road, Connoquenessing Township
When: Gates open at 8:30 a.m., rides begin at 1 p.m. through Saturday.
