A Very Public "Oops!

To err is human. No human being or human system is infallible. We all know that.

There was a fantastic crowd at this year's Death by Chocolate event. We thank everyone for attending, but must admit that they were, at the time, unknowing witnesses to a library "Oops!" moment.

There were some errors in the tallying of Death By Chocolate contest results, most notably in the cake category. It's really not surprising. That category had the most entries. The tally sheet was, therefore, crowded. The judging lasted longer than for any other category. The results for the candies and for the cookies & bars were in, and everyone was in a hurry to get the cake results and move on to the auction.

Under the circumstances, making a mistake was easy as pie. (Why do they say that? I've made pies, and I don't find them easy at all, though they are surely easier than some of the cakes that were created for the contest!)

Long story short, a recount over the weekend showed that the originally-announced cake-making winner, Jennifer Hurl, wasn't actually the winner at all. (And, I may add, she hadn't expected to win anything, so the recount made perfect sense to her!) Oops!

This is the actual winning cake, created with great skill by Miranda Durst.

Now, this looks like a winner!

WOW!

That is one fancy cake. I've heard that it tasted great, too!

There was a tabulation error regarding Best in Show, too. (Double oops!) This gorgeous cake tied with Melissa Blocher's Chocolate Covered Raspberry Brownies. (Yum!)

The official and final list of 2023 Death By Chocolate winners is as follows:

BEST OF SHOW: Miranda Durst (Who Needs Gravity Cake) and Melissa Blocher (Chocolate Covered Raspberry Brownies)

CAKES & PIES:

First Place - Miranda Durst (Who Needs Gravity Cake)

Second Place - Betty Christy (Love Finds You Cake)

Third Place (tie) - Maria Dennison (Strawberry Forest Cake) & Amy Robertson (Decadent Chocolate Cone Cake)

COOKIES & BARS:

First Place - Melissa Blocher (Chocolate Covered Raspberry Brownies)

Second Place (tie) - Grace Oakes (Chocolate Mousse Bars) & Carol Saylor (Hot Chocolate Cookies)

CANDY:

First Place - Patty Bittner (Brandy Cherries)

Second Place - Tarrah Cox (Strawberry Cheesecake Bites)

Third Place - Almeda Miller (Chocolate Caramel Tassies)

Thank you to everyone who contributed to another successful Death By Chocolate event. The hard work and time that goes into so many of these wonderful creations is truly impressive - as evidenced by the photo of Miranda's award-winning cake!

In addition to the bakers and candy makers, I want to especially thank the Friends of the Library who work so hard putting this event together, the judges, auctioneer Jesse Maust for donating his services, Amity United Church of Christ for hosting the event, and everyone who attended and who bid on items.