First Posted: 12/2/2014

Hundreds of cupcakes will soon fill one space at Keystone College, and community members are invited to go taste and vote for their favorites.

The second annual Cupcake Challenge, organized as a final exam project by students in Associate Professor Brenda Lidy’s Intro to Event Planning class, will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 9 in Evans Hall, Hibbard Campus Center. Admission for Keystone students is $4 in advance and $5 at the door, and for members of the general public the cost is $10 at the door.

Proceeds benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Bindi Liebowitz, a senior majoring in communications with a minor in event planning, said this cause is especially close to her own heart, as her grandmother died from pancreatic cancer. She said she appreciates the opportunity to “be a part of something that affected my family so closely.”

One thing she learned so far from the event planning class is that it is a lot harder than she thought.

“There’s a lot more that goes into planning an event than you’d think,” she said.

But, she and her classmates agreed, it will be worth it in the end to see the project come together and know they helped a worthy cause.

Other students working on the project include: Samantha Veety, a junior majoring in business; Kelly Fisher, a freshman with a duel major in business and sports and recreation management and Dan Candemeres and Michael Cargulia, both seniors majoring in sports and recreation management.

The event will feature several local bakeries and individuals who will bring three different flavors of cupcakes each — 100 treats total. Plaques will be awarded to top winners in four categories: people’s choice, most original, best taste and most artistic. Attendees will have the chance to taste three different flavors each and vote for their favorites for the people’s choice category. Judges will determine winners for the other three categories.

Bakers may still register to compete up to the evening before the event. Those interested may contact Kelly Fisher at kfisher1@keystone.edu or Brenda Lidy at 570-657-0248 or brenda.lidy@keystone.edu.

Those signed up so far include: Creative Cookies By Jenny, of Scott Township; Keystone College Culinary Arts Department students; The Pittston Bakery; Jesse Kays, a Keystone College student; Crystal Guagliardo, of Sodexo, Keystone College event planner; Lakeroad Café of Lake Winola; Corey Waller, a Keystone student with a duel major in early childhood education and child and family societies and Roxann Veety and Becky Taylor, of Lake Winola.