Department of Parks
Ky. Dam Village Showcases Desserts

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The staff of Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park in Gilbertsville held a unique contest recently, and its guests will enjoy the benefits for the next year.

    The park held its first-ever dessert contest, in which local residents were invited to whip up their favorite recipes. Thirty-one contestants showed up on March 18 to strut their culinary stuff. A team of judges chose the three best from the 51 delicious entries. These Grand Champion desserts will be featured for the next year in the park’s dining room menu.

    “We saw this as a great opportunity to highlight our great local cooking,” said Park Manager Curtis Gamblin. “We were excited by the participation, and we plan to make this an annual event.”

     The three finalists were a “General Lee Orange and Lemon Cake” by Ethel Tucker of Marion, an English apple pie by Karen Gamblin of Nortonville, and a chocolate chip cheesecake, created by Carol Madison of Reidland.

    Judges also chose six other desserts as champions. These dishes will be served in the dining room occasionally throughout the year. They were: hot butter rum apple pie, Frank Kennedy, Metropolis, IL; “Million Dollar Pie,” Doris Potocki, Paducah; tropical cheesecake, Betty Hill, Cadiz; “Toffee Delight,” Laquita Fox, Gilbertsville; cocoanut cream pie, Stella Barnett, Eddyville; and “Four-Layer Club Cake,” Ruby Edwards, Calvert City.

The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 52 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Commerce Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges -- more than any other state. Each year, Kentucky parks draw 7 million visitors and contribute $317 million to the economy. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our Web site at http://www.parks.ky.gov