LAKE ANN — A Lake Ann resident is bringing a new event to the village: the Great Holiday Cookie Challenge.
Al Uryga said he and his wife moved here a couple years ago and quickly began to see how village residents assisted each other. Volunteers plan and run several free events throughout the year, including during the holiday season.
Uryga said they wanted to host this inaugural cookie challenge as a way to help pay for those activities and give back to the town.
“The village gets a small budget,” he said. “I wanted to do this on a grander scale for the village. This is a trial run.”
He said the idea actually formed last year, when he and his wife participated in a trivia event. He challenged the other team members to make holiday cookies.
This year, he has selected 10 bakers, all Lake Ann residents. Though Uryga is not one of them, he said he is eager to try their homemade creations. They each agreed to make 300 cookies, a total of 3,000.
Rachel Kapala is one of the local bakers. She will make her mother-in-law Ruth’s recipe with help from her sister-in-law Simone Hincka and daughter Olivia, 11.
“My daughter loves to bake,” Kapala said. “She’s always wanted to do a baking challenge. She comes up with recipes.”
The trio will recreate the family recipe, a frosted sugar cookie, for this event.
“They’re really fluffy, not too sweet,” Kapala said. “It’s a really challenging recipe. You have to be shown how to do it.”
Kapala added that they are excited to share these cookies with not just their family but the community.
“We want to keep this tradition alive,” she said.
The Great Holiday Cookie Challenge is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 5 at Almira Township Hall. Admission is $10 per person at the door. Community members can sample 10 baked goods and name their favorite.
Additionally, a bake sale will be offered in the basement of the town hall. A $10 donation per dozen cookies is suggested. People can pick treats to fill their own platter.