The Lenoir County 4-H ended its summer program with its own special take on cupcake wars.
Kids learned about food safety and how to make cupcakes on Day 1 of a two-day event. The children were divided into teams of two and had a theme and secret ingredient for their cupcakes, said 4-H agent Tara Taylor.
Today’s event will allow participants to show off their creations to judges, with the winning team being crowned “Cupcake Warriors.” All involved will receive a prize.
Natalia Castro, a local volunteer, was on hand to teach the kids about decorating with fondant.
“It’s like playdough, but sugar. It’s awesome for kids,” Castro said of the fondant.
Volunteers such as Castro, along with parents and 4-H staff, have made the summer program a success, Taylor said.
Throughout the summer, kids between the ages of 5-19 took part in a variety of activities ranging from learning about proper hunting safety to cooking and baking.
New this summer for the club was a 15-passenger van, paid for by a joint effort of Lenoir County 4-H and the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. The van helped make it easier to take programs off-site, Taylor said.
The most popular program of the summer was “Chopped,” which ran from July 15-18. Like its namesake show on Food Network, participants were tasked with creating a dish based off a set of random ingredients. It also gave them an opportunity to work on their presentation skills when they stood before a panel of judges.
Another highlight of the summer was Kaitlyn Johnson, 12, who won the statewide 4-H Horse Show. Taylor accompanied Johnson to the national competition in West Monroe, La.
Teenagers attended the 4-H Congress, June 21-25, at N.C. State, where they were able to meet with legislators and take part in a state-wide service project.
Caroline Edwards, 11, attended many of the events during the summer and said she enjoyed cooking and baking the most.
Taylor credits the success of the program to the hands-on approach take by the staff in teaching the kids.
“The hands-on element is so involved that they didn’t even realize that they were learning,” Taylor said.
The next 4-H event will be the Eastern Regional Shooting Sports Competition on Sept. 7 in Columbia.
Noah Clark can be reached at 252-559-1073 or at Noah.Clark@Kinston.com.