Washington Elementary student Laura Price decided to use Halloween decorations of all types when she decorated her cake at the Minot Public Library's cake decorating contest Thursday.
The marble cake was decorated with a spider, a skeleton, ghosts, and trick or treat bags filled with whipped cream.
Derek Lebaron, a seventh-grader at Jim Hill Middle School, decorated his cake with a spider web. Teen Services librarian Pam Carswell said Derek has gotten really good at art over the years and it showed in his cake decoration.
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Rebecca Schlichting, a seventh-grader at Jim Hill Middle School, and her brother Daniel Schlichting, a student at Edison Elementary, decorate cakes during the Minot Public Library’s cake decorating contest Thursday. School was not in session in Minot due to a teacher inservice day.
Rebecca Schlichting, a seventh-grader at Jim Hill, and her younger brother Daniel, a student at Edison Elementary, said their mom decorates cakes, so they had some good ideas already for decorating their's.
All of the cakes looked like delicious, spooky fun, and best of all the kids got to take them home to enjoy with their families.
"I bribe them with a lot of food," said Carswell, who said food is a frequent addition to teen events at the library. "They're hungry."
Carswell took over last month as the teen services librarian after six years as the assistant librarian in the children's library. Some of the children who were kindergarteners when she started working at the library are now sixth-graders taking part in teen activities. Carswell said it has been fun to watch them grow up and to see their interests develop.
There are a wide variety od activities for teens at the library. There are regular movie nights, gaming nights with both video and board games, and contests like the "cake wars". Last year there was a cupake decorating contest. A teen advisory board helps the library plan new activities for teens.
The gaming night gives kids a chance to try out different video game systems. If one kid has a Wii at home, he might enjoy trying out the X-Box at the library. Some kids don't have video gaming systems at home and like getting to play games at the library. Girls seem to prefer the board games to the video games, said Carswell, who is looking for new board games to play with the teens. Donations would be welcome.
Carswell also enjoys introducing kids to new books they might enjoy. Parents or kids might not want to risk buying a book they aren't sure they will like, but the library allows them to sample different genres without taking a financial risk, said Carswell.
"They can develop their tastes and maybe try out something they haven't read," said Carswell. She is happy that some of the boys who said they didn't like adventure books are now big fans of the adventure genre.
Winners of the cake decorating contest went home with $5 gift certificates to Marketplace Foods, a rubber spatula as well as their spooky Halloween cakes. First place went to Daniel Biggs, second place went to Carter Gage and third place went to Cecilia Biggs.