COPAKE — Sugar filled the air at the Fourth Annual Copake Cupcake Celebration on Sunday, June 23 at the Copake Grange Hall.
Starting at 11 a.m. cars began to line Empire Road as the Copake Grange was transformed into the “Cupcake Grange” fundraiser organized by the Friends of the Copake Grange.
One thousand cupcakes!
That’s how many of the hand-sized delights were prepared this year by 46 bakers organized by the Grange’s Paulette Bonano.
“Copake rhymes with cupcake,” said Janet Mackin, “This is my dream come true.”
“It’s always sold out,” Mackin said as she recalled that at last year’s event 716 cupcakes were sold a the going rate: $1 per.
Veronica McTiernan, president of the Friends of the Copake Grange, handled ticket sales and barely had time to answer questions as a steady stream poured into the hall.
Cupcake lovers of all ages crowded up to the tables, exchanging their $1 tickets for the sweets that they placed very carefully into cardboard containers. The confectionary congregants were entertained by Harry Hussey and Lenny Bardham of the House Band.
Children milled, seemingly agog at the display of rows and rows of cupcakes, and parents and grandparents seemed to be mostly in charge of the selection process. Some tried their luck at the Wheel of Fortune supervised by Vicki Sander and Liz Fenamore.
Judges — Caden Cochrane, Kate Lanphear and Seung Suh— stood by in the mix, carefully tasting and examining entries.
Stephanie Rabin was winner of “The Ultimate Copake Cupcake” with a gluten and dairy free “Put the Lime in the Coconut” cupcake, a reference to the Harry Nilsson song. The People’s Choice award went to Madeline Silverman for a “Blueberry Crumb Cupcake.”
Lyra Cochrane, 9, won the Children’s Award. Last year’s winner was Natalia Coleman, 8, of San Diego, California, who was visiting with grandparents Steve and Dana Colman of Copake and making a cameo appearance on the floor, but not competing.
Sylvia McLaughlin of Copake had her arms full with 1 1/2 year old Jackson hoisted on one arm and a fistful of tickets and a cardboard container in the other. It wasn’t clear how she would proceed.
Louise Shelton
The Ultimate Copake Cupcake “Put the Lime in the Coconut.”
Meg Sher, executive director of the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village.L. Tomaino 
