Connie Kendall, a surprise entry in the Amazingly Munch-rageous Goodie Contest, said she slaved over the oven for hours, getting her entry just right. Connie refused to reveal her secret ingredient, but she said she used her great-great-grandmother’s recipe for her Boysenberry Cheesecake with a Twist.

“I’ve never been all that superb when it comes to baking,” she said. “My family’s cheesecake recipe has always been one of a kind, though. I have a feeling it will take the cake! Pun intended.”

A few judges had to be gently persuaded to eat Connie’s creation after her baking past, but they eventually gave Connie high marks for her dessert.

John Avery Whittaker prepared for an entire month before unveiling his newest invention in the Spectacular Invention Show.

“I came up with a little thing I’d like to call ‘Alittledabwilldoya,’ “ he said. “It’s a small machine I can use at Whit’s End to add just enough flavor powder to each ice cream served, without ever having to guess how much to put in.”

He was favored to win the competition until Wooton Bassett arrived with a surprise entry. He showed the judges a chair he invented for his mother. The chair had a built-in radio tuner, book light and remote control holder.

“My mother wanted to listen to the radio while reading a book and watching television,” Bassett said. “She’s a multimedia junkie.”

“It’s like I’ve always said,” he added with a laugh, “Mother is the necessity of invention.”