Murrysville teen brings home 8 ribbons from Westmoreland Fair
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Ian Sunny of Murrysville is on a roll this week at the Westmoreland Fair.
And chances are, if he had baked a tray of rolls, he’d have won a ribbon for that, too.
Sunny, 16, a junior at Franklin Regional Senior High School, brought home eight ribbons from the fair — including five first-place ribbons — in both photography and baked goods competitions.
Three first-place ribbons and one second-place ribbon were for photographs, and Sunny also earned two first- and two second-place ribbons for bread and fudge.
“I love baking and it’s a wonderful hobby, but photography is where my true passion lies,” Sunny said. “I hope to use it someday in my career field.”
Sunny received his first professional camera two years ago for Christmas.
“I was inspired by photographers from National Geographic,” he said. “Photography is a wonderful way to invoke emotion in people and show people the beautiful aspects of the world.”
Sunny’s photographs of a field of flowers, a preening duck and a selfie he snapped at a scout gathering all earned first-place ribbons in various categories.
As for his baking ribbons, Sunny relied on the expertise of previous generations.
“My mother and I have been baking for as long as I can remember,” he said. “She told me that even before I was in school, we baked together.”
Sunny earned first-place ribbons for both his white and whole-wheat breads.
“White bread is easily my favorite to bake and eat,” he said. “Finding enough time to make the bread is usually the challenging part. The dough can sometimes take up to an hour-and-a-half to rise before it’s ready to bake.”
As for his first-place peanut butter fudge, Sunny used a recipe passed down from his grandmother.
“She used the recipe with my mom when she was a kid,” he said.
The fair runs through Aug. 24 on Blue Ribbon Lane in Mt. Pleasant Township.