Ryers Readers - The Festival at Sugar Ridge

Episode Date: March 9, 2022

The sweet treats at Sugar Ridge are getting ready for their annual festival! The cupcakes learn it is fun to be creative and original!

Let's do this. Today we're gonna read the festival at Sugar Ridge, written by Mary Bee. Beautiful Sugar Ridge was not just any town. No. Sugar Ridge was a majestic town of sweets and treats. It had cake pop trees and gumdrop hedges. It had houses made of cupcakes, gingerbread, and chocolate wafers. High above the streets of Sugar Ridge stood the icing glazed Ridge it's At the foot of the ridge was an ice cream castle and through the center of town

flowed a Sugar Ridge's famous white chocolate river, smooth and delicious. Today Sugar Ridge was buzzing with excitement. The whole town was busy getting ready for its annual festival, the most exciting event of the year. The Sugar Ridge Festival had rides, contests, and games. This year's festival featured a taffy pole, a chocolate dunk, and a caramel apple dip. The festival also had a jelly donut fill. The donuts loved it because it tickled their bellies. The cupcakes were especially excited about the cupcake walk.

The winner of this year's contest would win the privilege of leading the Sugar Ridge Festival parade. Everyone was trying to protect who would be this year's best deck. decorated cupcake. Most of the cupcakes had already made appointments with a professional decorator and were deciding what kind of icing they were going to wear to the contest. I'm getting pink, said strawberry to the surprise of no one. Probably with a strawberry. And I'm getting mint green with a ruffle around it, said Coco. Carrot was getting a cream cheese star and red velvet was getting mini dollops of a lovely pastel red buttercream.

The cupcakes turn to vanilla. What are you getting? I'm not getting anything. I'm going to do my own. Your own? They questioned in disbelief. You're doing your own? Yes, answered Vanilla.

I'm going to do my own. Well, it probably won't look very good, said Strawberry. What kind of icing are you going to do? I don't know. Maybe confectioner sugar, butter, and milk. What color? Cocoa wanted to know. I think I'll do white, she said.

White? They exclaimed. Shocked. No way, you've got to be kidding. Why not? Responded Vanilla. I like white. But it's so plain and boring, said strawberry.

Now vanilla was all the more determined to create decorations that would surprise them. I'll show everyone that vanilla doesn't have to be plain or boring, she said to herself. She began collecting all of the ingredients she needed at the grocery store, confectioner sugar, vanilla extract, butter, milk, and food coloring. On the morning of the festival, vanilla carefully mixed and spread the icing. It went on beautifully, and she, She was very satisfied with the results. Still, it was a little, well, Vanilla, she thought.

Perhaps it did need a little something, but what? You look beautiful, said Vanella's mother. Thanks, Mom, replied Vanilla. But I'm not quite finished yet. No? What are you going to do? I'm not sure yet, said Vanilla. Maybe just a little swirl of yellow.

So Vanilla took a little bit of the remaining white icing and put it into a smaller bowl. She added some yellow coloring and worked it into the icing. Then she applied a little swirl of yellow all over the white. It was nice, she thought, but it needed something more. A swirl of green might be nice. Again, vanilla colored a bit of the white icing. This time she created a green swirl next to the yellow one. Ooh, that's really pretty, she thought.

Now Vanilla was really excited, but she wasn't finished yet. She had an idea. She created a blue swirl next to the green and a purple next to the blue. Next, she added a swirl of red. Then she finished with a swirl of orange between the red and yellow. Now Vanella's white topping became a beautiful rainbow swirl. It might not be professionally done, she thought, but it certainly made her happy.

It made Vanella's mom happy too. Why, Vanilla, I'm so proud of you, that is just lovely. The festival was thrilling and colorful and fun. With taffy striped tents, colorful flags and balloons, there were so many exciting things to do. Vanella's first stop was the chocolate dunk.

There was a peanut sitting in the dunking booth, a contraption with a moving seat suspended over a large tub of chocolate. Participants threw a ball at the target that, when triggered, suddenly lowered the seat, dunking the peanut into the chocolate. The peanut seemed to enjoy the whole process, and Vanilla thought he looked more and more handsome

with each dip. It was fun to watch the chocolate dunk, but Vanella needed to hurry on. to the location for the cupcake walk. As the contestants arrived for the contest, all eyes were on Vanilla. The other cupcakes weren't quite sure what to think. No one had ever considered using multiple colors,

it just wasn't done. And though Vanella's work wasn't professionally done, it was rather pretty, the others thought. It made them just a little nervous, but surely the judges would prefer a professional job. The stern-looking judges, a donut, an ice cream cone, and a chocolate bar sat ready with their glasses down on their noses, their official contest clipboards in front of them. Then Mint Chimp walks slowly across the stage while the judges scrutinized, writing busily on their clipboards. Vanella, whispered Strawberry, your colorful icing is really pretty. You did a nice job.

Thanks, replied Vanilla, and your strawberry is just beautiful. Finally, the moment they have been waiting for arrived. The contest official stepped forward and spoke. First of all, our judges would like to say that all of your decorations are beautiful. It was most difficult to make this decision. The winner, however, was chosen not only for the appeal of their decor, but the novelty as well. Vanilla drew in a breath. The winner of this year's Cupcake Walk is Vanilla with her rainbow swirl icing.

Vanilla blushed at the judge's approving nods and the audience's rousing applause. She couldn't believe that she had actually won. The other contestants looked admiringly as she stepped forward to shake with the hands with the official. It was so exciting and then she, she could never have imagined. Tell us, Vanilla, who did your icing? asked the official. Why I did, said Vanilla. It's more fun to do your own.

There was a murmur from the crowd and many ooze and ahs. This too was something new. No one had ever before done their own decorating. So the next day, Vanella with her rainbow swirl led the beautiful sugar-rich festival parade. The other cupcakes marched proudly behind her, following by the cookies, the popsicles, the lollipops, donuts, and a few little gun drops scattered all around.

I'm going to wear rainbow swirl next year, said strawberry to Coco. But you can't, said Coco. I'm sure Vanilla will want to wear her rainbow swirl. She invented it. No, said Vanilla. anyone can have rainbow swirl. Next year, I'm going to create something different. The end.

I hope you enjoyed that story. I wonder what we're going to read next.