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The Citizen, 2016-01-28, Page 19ONE NIGHT ONLY! E?s, I 5 "1,0/1`1 DICK CLARK by Jef Brown * CONNIE FRANCIS * BUDDY HOLLY * JOHNNY CASH * BILLY JOEL * BOBBY VINTON * LESLEY GORE SATURDAY FEBRUARY 201 @ 8 P.M. - TICKETS $35 all inclusive BLYTH MEMORIAL HALL 519-523-9300 www_ Blvth Festival _ co m THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016. PAGE 19. Blyth native featured on `Sugar Showdown' Under pressure Blyth native Erin Bolger, who already has author, baker and entrepreneur on her resume, can now add television - personality. Bolger will be one of the bakers competing in Sugar Showdown, a confectionary -centred competition where contestants face off against each other to bake the best desserts. The show will air on Feb. 4 on The Food Network Canada at 9 p.m. (Photo submitted) By Denny Scott The Citizen Author and Blyth native Erin Bolger will soon appear on Sugar Showdown, a Cooking Network show that has dessert crafters competing against one another for a $10,000 prize. Bolger, along with her assistant Sharon Thompson from Clinton, was filmed last July for the show, which will air on The Food Network Canada on Feb. 3 at 9 p.m. Author of The Happy Baker -A Dater's Guide To Emotional Baking, Bolger opened The Pink Flamingo Bakery and Boutique, a seasonal bakery in Bayfield, several years ago. While Bolger couldn't discuss the outcome of the show, she was able to say that the experience was a completely different one from her normal style of baking. "It's definitely a very different situation," she said. "I'm not used to being under such a strict timeline and I'm not used to the kitchen they had there. I had no idea where anything was." Bolger said having Thompson, who used to work for the Blyth Festival, was a huge benefit to her, despite the fact that Thompson had just started at the bakery when she was asked to accompany Bolger on television. "She hadn't worked for me very long, so it was kind of funny asking her if she wanted to do me this big favour," Bolger said. "She was camera shy, but we got through that and I told her that once we got going, she wouldn't even notice the cameras." In the end, Bolger says that Thompson's daughters were the ones to talk their mother into doing the show. The show pits confectioners against each other and challenges them to make cakes, pies, cupcakes and other sweets in two rounds, followed by an elimination round and a final contest. The show that Bolger is featured in had a "special ingredient" for the elimination round; fresh figs, which was a completely different experience for her. "I had never seen a fig before in my life," she said. "There are probably a few moments of me realizing, 'Oh, that's what a Bakery to host art show By Denny Scott The Citizen The Queens Bakery in Blyth is opening its doors and walls to an art show early next month to show off the skill of local artists. The business, which has a long- standing practice of featuring local artists on its walls, will be hosting an art show on Feb. 4 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., though the pieces will be visible long in advance of that date. "We have 25 pieces up right now, and at least another four pieces to come in," Queens Bakery co-owner Les Cook said. "We should have 30 pieces from eight artists by the time the show arrives" The artists confirmed so far are Jerry McDonnell, Anne Laviolette, Scott Ramsay, William Creighton, Michele Miller, Jane Stryker, Madeleine Roske and Elfi Enns. The pieces vary widely in both size and prize, ranging from 8" by 10" up to 36" by 48" and starting at $150 and going up to $1,200. "We have a little bit of everything as far as styles go," Cook said. "We have abstract, still-life, nature scenes, farm scenery, photography and sketches. Some are framed and some are unframed." Cook said that the bakery has always appreciated having local BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED artists to feature and said it gives the business a chance to have rotating art. "[The art] is changing all the time so it can really show what local artists are capable of," he said. "Some of it is for sale, while some of it is just for show." During a discussion among Cook, Miller and Roske, it was decided that the bakery would make a good place for an art show. "Part of what makes the bakery a good place, according to the artists, is the walls," Cook said. "The brick walls give a good backdrop for such a diverse group of paintings. Coloured walls or even white walls can affect how a painting looks in contrast." The bakery is hosting the event, however, to benefit the artists there is no charge for the artists to participate and no percentage taken from sales. Cook said he hopes to make the art show an annual event, if not more often, and said that when the art in the show goes out, more new, local art will take its place. Pieces can be bought by cash or cheque and the pieces will remain up in the bakery until the end of March. For more information, contact the Queens Bakery at 226-523-9720 or find them on Facebook. SAT. JANUARY 30, 2016 Atwood Community Centre Door Prizes - Auction Take-out available 41670 Meal served : 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Bar : 6:00 p.m. -1:00 a.m. Tickets $ 25.00 each Tickets available from Ralph's Service Centre or any Atwood Lions Club Member. fig looks like,' in the show." The final competition was called "Princess Cupcakes" and while Bolger couldn't confirm if she was eliminated or not in the previous round, she did say that the theme was definitely something she could be comfortable with. The show itself is based on Donut Showdown, a similar show where donut makers compete against each other. Bolger had previously applied to be a judge on the show. "They approached me to participate in this show and, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's because I had auditioned to be a judge on Donut Showdown," Bolger said. Finding the time to participate in the filming of the show in Toronto was difficult, Bolger admitted, saying that July is a busy time of year for her own bakery. "The bakery is doing well," She said. "We're in the third year, and in the groove now, but taking myself and another baker away was a difficult choice to make." Fortunately Bolger was able to rely on her family to pick up the slack at the store. "My mom and [my husband] Jason and my student baker Claire VanDoornik really helped out," she said. "Having a good staff like that helps a lot." Bolger's mother Faye was the postmaster at the Blyth Post Office until she retired last year. Taking the time away from the shop was worthwhile, according to Bolger. "The show was a lot of fun," she said. "It was an awesome experience and I loved it." Bolger was concerned about the competition because she was never formally educated as a baker, but she said she ended up feeling like she was able to compete. "I'm not a classically -trained baker, I'm self taught," she said. "I didn't want to compete against anyone who had gone to school for that and had been taught, but I think I did O.K." She also said she was happy just being on the show because exposure is everything. She hopes the show could provide a chance for her to reach a larger market with her book, which was recently completely converted to an e -book. "I was competing against people from the United States so when they introduced me, they introduced me as coming from Bayfield Canada," she said. "I hope I reached a bigger audience there." "I only have a handful of print books left," she said. "We're going through the e -book stores now" Bolger is currently working on the follow-up to her smash -hit book which will be more Huron County - focused this time. She said it will also focus a little less on bad relationship situations given that she has been happily married for more than two years. For more information on Bolger's book or bakery, visit www.thehappybakerchick.com long distance?1 -800-265-3438 Wel 430 Queen St., Blyth, Ontario Group of Eight Art Show Opening February 4 All 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Welcome! Meet the 8 local artists 226-523-9720 Show runs Feb. 4 to Mar. 31