Turns out sugar and politics are a recipe for success.

The most recent MoveOn Whidbey Baking For Obama sale brought in a record-setting $1,435, not only making it the most successful installment of all the bake sales the local group held at Bayview to support Sen. Barack Obama’s run for president, but the MoveOn members also outdid other chapters in Washington.

“I was hoping we’d make $800, so it would be the highest netting sale of the four we had,” said Carolyn Tamler, the local MoveOn coordinator. “The final net is $1,435, including a couple of checks from MoveOn Whidbey members who couldn’t make it to the sale and wanted to still make a contribution.”

The hub at the historic Bayview Cash Store was bustling with activity at 10 a.m. last Saturday.

The tables had already been filled with goodies by MoveOn members and supporters. Sydney Hoffman, who used to own a bakery in Langley, brought a dozen decorated cakes and two dozen decorated cupcakes. The Beach Cabin donated a chocolate cake, Whidbey Pies contributed a loganberry pie.

More than 25 MoveOn Whidbey members and others who had heard about the bake sale brought pies, bundt cakes, brownies, iced carrot muffins, breads and all kinds of cookies and bars.

“Many people walked up and selected one item, and handed me a $5, $10 or $20 bill and said, ‘Keep the change.’ One man handed me four

$20 bills, took one cookie and also said, ‘Keep the change,’” Tamler recalled. “Everyone seemed really excited to be contributing, whether buying or baking, and many did both.”

Some bakers from the Bayview Farmer’s Market brought by some of their unsold merchandise and added it to the display.

One member brought a pan of homemade baklava, which was an especially popular item. Another member had iced cupcakes with the Obama logo.

Another Obama supporter made sugar cookies, shaped like pigs with vivid red lips and little tags that read, “It’s still a pig.”

People crowded around the tables and were delighted with the selection and laughed at the pig cookies. Two moms with infants were wrapped up in a conversation when their toddlers spotted a Obama cupcake. A little girl kept pointing at the cupcakes while her mom chatted.

“I finally asked the moms if they knew what they wanted, and one of the mothers leaned over to ask her daughter if she saw something she liked, and the little girl kept pointing at the Obama cupcakes until her mother finally got the message,” Tamler said.

The treats sold quickly.

“Within the first hour of opening, nearly all of the full cakes and pies had been purchased,” Tamler said. “By the end of the sale, a few dozen cookies and bars were all that were left, and these were delivered to the Good Cheer Food Bank.”

The bake sale brings the total of funds raised through cookies and other baked goods to $3,235. The group raised more than $1,800 in three previous sales.

Proceeds will go to MoveOn’s Political Action Fund to help pay for ads promoting the campaigns of Obama and other progressive candidates on the ballot in the November election, Tamler said.

The group hasn’t planned another bake sale, but Tamler said MoveOn is now coordinating its work to tie into activities planned by the Obama campaign and her group with its more than 160 members will help out.

To learn more about MoveOn Whidbey, contact Tamler at carolyntamler@whidbey.net or 222-6820.

Turns out sugar and politics are a recipe for success.

The most recent MoveOn Whidbey Baking For Obama sale brought in a record-setting $1,435, not only making it the most successful installment of all the bake sales the local group held at Bayview to support Sen. Barack Obama’s run for president, but the MoveOn members also outdid other chapters in Washington.

“I was hoping we’d make $800, so it would be the highest netting sale of the four we had,” said Carolyn Tamler, the local MoveOn coordinator. “The final net is $1,435, including a couple of checks from MoveOn Whidbey members who couldn’t make it to the sale and wanted to still make a contribution.”

The hub at the historic Bayview Cash Store was bustling with activity at 10 a.m. last Saturday.

The tables had already been filled with goodies by MoveOn members and supporters. Sydney Hoffman, who used to own a bakery in Langley, brought a dozen decorated cakes and two dozen decorated cupcakes. The Beach Cabin donated a chocolate cake, Whidbey Pies contributed a loganberry pie.

More than 25 MoveOn Whidbey members and others who had heard about the bake sale brought pies, bundt cakes, brownies, iced carrot muffins, breads and all kinds of cookies and bars.

“Many people walked up and selected one item, and handed me a

$5, $10 or $20 bill and said, ‘Keep the change.’ One man handed me four

$20 bills, took one cookie and also said, ‘Keep the change,’” Tamler recalled. “Everyone seemed really excited to be contributing, whether buying or baking, and many did both.”

Some bakers from the Bayview Farmer’s Market brought by some of their unsold merchandise and added it to the display.

One member brought a pan of homemade baklava, which was an especially popular item. Another member had iced cupcakes with the Obama logo.

Another Obama supporter made sugar cookies, shaped like pigs with vivid red lips and little tags that read, “It’s still a pig.”

People crowded around the tables and were delighted with the selection and laughed at the pig cookies. Two moms with infants were wrapped up in a conversation when their toddlers spotted a Obama cupcake. A little girl kept pointing at the cupcakes while her mom chatted.

“I finally asked the moms if they knew what they wanted, and one of the mothers leaned over to ask her daughter if she saw something she liked, and the little girl kept pointing at the Obama cupcakes until her mother finally got the message,” Tamler said.

The treats sold quickly.

“Within the first hour of opening, nearly all of the full cakes and pies had been purchased,” Tamler said. “By the end of the sale, a few dozen cookies and bars were all that were left, and these were delivered to the Good Cheer Food Bank.”

The bake sale brings the total of funds raised through cookies and other baked goods to $3,235. The group raised more than $1,800 in three previous sales.

Proceeds will go to MoveOn’s Political Action Fund to help pay for ads promoting the campaigns of Obama and other progressive candidates on the ballot in the November election, Tamler said.

The group hasn’t planned another bake sale, but Tamler said MoveOn is now coordinating its work to tie into activities planned by the Obama campaign and her group with its more than 160 members will help out.

To learn more about MoveOn Whidbey, contact Tamler at carolyntamler@whidbey.net or 222-6820.