Saturday, December 14, 2019

December 14, 2019 International Fruitcake Festival Independence, California

Another successful Fruitcake Festival.

The sun setting behind the Sierras. Most of the towns along the eastern Sierra are right up against the Sierras, It is very dramatic. John  posing as Thor. 

Sue as a Valkyrie (who fly the souls of the dead from battle up to Valhalla to live with the gods) with the souls of dead fruitcakes, John as Loki the trickster god and Judy as King Harald Blatand Gormsen. Harald is known for two things, one he united Denmark and Norway and he had a dental problem that turned one of his teeth blue, so he was nicknamed Blue Tooth. When the scientist in Sweden invented the technology to united different devices they named it the Bluetooth after King Blatand. They combined the runes for blue and tooth and came up with the popular icon for Bluetooth. Judy's helmet has the runes and the icon on it. Some more costumes, Dave the nu-to-meter technician for judging with fruit cake has the most solids, Michael the MC, Mary-the Impaler and Brian.

A few of us women having a battle. Judy and I with fruit cake spatulas and John with a couple axes.  

Brian as Odin the Fruitcake King arriving in his ship and being crowned as king by Nancy. Each year the crown has something to do with the theme added to it. 

The fruitcake judges with the royalty. Two of the judges are county judges in real life and the third is a local lawyer. Judy and I won the oldest Fruitcake award. I made it when we were in Florida in 2012 from my mothers recipe and sent it to Judy who froze it and Judy made the viking ship it arrived in. 

A crowd shot. 150 people came to the festival. Mary, Don, Nancy and Brian opening the archival fruitcake. It is 20 years old, preserved in powdered sugar and brandy. it is stored in a bio hazard container that contained water and food stored in case of a nuclear attack. Fruit cake will survive the attack to feed us. Each year it is opened and the King chooses a royal taster to taste it and see if it is good. So far so good. 

The fruitcakes roped off before the judging. And the tastings after the judging. Some of the notable fruitcakes- one shaped like a sword, popcorn ball fruitcake, a helmet fruitcake, our fruitcake in its viking ship, a ship shaped fruitcake and a treasure chest full of donate fruitcake fruit from Paradise fruits in Florida. Everyone was required to take some fruit home for next years fruit cake. 

The fruitcake King's crown. Each year another trinket from the theme of the festival is added. A raven on the eggnog bar with a viking helmet on, viking rubber ducks as table decorations, Fruitcake madness poster and a legalize fruitcake magnet. Some of the costumes- the Nordic queens, a woman with a shield made from her neighbors garbage can lid, a couple of vikings, my costume front and back before the tights, Thor-whose arm is Thor from baking, marching band vikings, the Norn's who won the costume prize, Fruitcake judge Lamb, in his Brunhilde Irish viking helmet, and fruitcake nut-o-meter Dave with the royal nut-o-meter. 
It is hard to catch my sister Judy in a photo smiling and with her eyes open. Not that she does not smile, just not when getting her photo taken. I lucked out and got a couple. 









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