At one time, a West Tisbury resident might be invited to be a judge at the fair — more fun than jury duty, more culturally appealing than serving as the town’s insect control chief.

Some categories were more attractive than others. I assume that judging adult baking would be the top choice for many. But those judges never retired. They went to their graves with their badges clipped to their shirts.

Years ago, my husband, Timothy, was coaxed by his childhood bro John Alley, to join him as a judge for the second most desirable portfolio — deciding the best of children’s baking. That honor, as it turned out, was a distant and dubious second.

Of course children can bake. Anyone who can read can cook, as the cookbook says. These judges, however, soon determined that if the end product was tasty, balanced and light as air, the dessert was probably made by somebody’s mother.

But if the batter’s measurements got switched — sugar for salt, for instance — beware. Or the cake weighed heavily on its plate, or the frosting was a dazzling neon pink, these panelists knew the contestant was an authentic child.

At this fair, our upstanding community attracted plenty of honest, legitimate young novices. Frequently, the tasting samples didn’t get swallowed, but ended up in the trash can/spittoon placed nearby.

The regulations said the judges were supposed to take a small bite. Judges from the other booths strolled by the children’s baking nook and offered to help by tasting a morsel. Morsel by morsel, the best entries grew smaller. When the fair opened to the public the next morning, all the confections were displayed under glass to be seen and admired. But the finest examples had sometimes, somehow, diminished in size. If you knew how the system works, you knew that the one lone brownie from a batch on a large plate had earned its blue ribbon..

By the time Tim came home after an August evening of judging, all he wanted was to drink a gallon of water to wash away the sweetness. Somebody had to do it.

The fair opens Thursday, August 21, runs all day and into the evening through Sunday. New at the fair this year is a shuttle bus service to circle within the grounds and provide transit for the elderly or anyone who needs a ride.

Volunteers are needed for the knot-tying booth at the fair. If you know how to tie a few knots (beyond tying your shoes), please contact Bill Haynes at 508-338-2153 or Adam Moore at 508 280-7883. Here is an opportunity to impress your neighbors or your children by showing them how to secure their boat, their camping tent, or their horse.

Happy birthday to a batch of up-Islanders, all with West Tisbury cachet. The big day is Friday, August 15, for Rob Hauck and Kate Taylor. Best birthday wishes go to Kathleen Cameron on Tuesday, August 19, and to Emily Meagan on Wednesday, August 20.