A few years later, in 1998, our hardware store reopened after a remodel. This time a Canadian Western Festival was on the program. As part of this event, I also planned a muffin baking contest. The rules of the game were announced in a newspaper ad: Every man and woman could participate and had to bring home-baked muffins with the recipe to the Renz company on Thursday, June 25, 1998. New muffin recipes were in demand. The ladies and gentlemen in the region found it truly difficult to find another ingredient that I had not already used in my previous recipes.
The boss of the largest bakery chain in the area, together with one of my co-authors, “ate” one muffin after another. At the festive event on the weekend, each participant – only women took part after all – received a certificate. This time there was no main prize, but many smaller prizes. For example, a muffin soaked in orange liqueur was awarded the prize of “wittiest muffin”. This also resulted in the delicious Black Forest cherry muffin recipe from Christel Noppel, a friend of mine.
I had been desperately searching for an original Indian who would act as a “fairy godmother” and draw the main winner for a trip to Canada with an overnight stay in a log cabin. How fortunate that there was a full-blooded Indian in my home church – Dan from California. He did not know at all what was going on when I enthusiastically pounced on him. In the USA, Red Indians are total outsiders. But he gladly joined in and gave my Canadian Westernfest the right flair.