PENDLETON — Cakes that look like footballs. Cakes that look like eyeglasses. Cakes that look like gigantic hamburgers.

When Pendleton holds its second ever Bubba Bake-Off Saturday, local men will once again put their baking skills to the test. A dozen or so dudes are expected to vie for blue ribbons, including those for Most Macho, Best Sports Theme, Butt Ugliest and Best Pendleton Theme.

The bake-off is part of the 10th Annual Pendleton Fall Harvest Festival.

“It was interesting last year to see what the guys can do,” said Fall Harvest Festival Coordinator Jena Vegod. “A fisherman made a cake that looked like a fish, and he used sliced strawberries to make the scales. We had a guy who made a cake that looked like a bedspread made from Chiclets. It was amazing to see how original they got.”

Although the cakes must be edible, entries will be judged on appearance not sapor. After winners are announced, all the cakes will be auctioned off, with proceed benefiting S.O.U.P. (Supper On Us Pendleton). The program is a Meals On Wheels-like venture benefiting more than 50 shut-ins in the Pendleton, Clemson and Sandy Springs areas.

Fall Harvest Festival typically attracts about 2,000 people to Pendleton’s downtown Village Green, a laidback setting for an equally laidback event.

“Spring Jubilee in Pendleton is a juried show, and we are not that,” Vegod said. “We are not as sophisticated. We have handcrafted items, but we also have some other things. We don’t just limit it to the handcrafted.”

So, in addition to locally-made jewelry, wrought iron work and yard sculptures, the Fall Harvest Festival vendor list includes Pampered Chef, a retailer known for niche kitchen items such as pizza stones. All told, Fall Harvest 2008 will feature 63 vendors, up from 54 last year and about 30 in 2006, Vegod said.

But it’s yesteryear kids’ games — tug-or-war, three-legged races, egg toss, etc. — that are the heart of Fall Harvest Festival. The antiquities have outlasted numerous video game consoles, from Atari 2600 to the Nintendo 64, and remain a hoot.

“This started 10 years ago as nothing more than old-fashioned children games,” Vegod said. “We’ve done that every year. Somebody actually suggested this year we do away with children’s games at Fall Harvest Festival. But our committee decided this is how we started out, and it was important to maintain. We’ve actually made it the centerpiece of this year’s festival.”

A Dixie-fried music lineup boasts banjo hotshot Charles Wood, who has appeared on “The Late Show With David Letterman” and “A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor.” Wood has won at least six major banjo contests, including the prestigious Winfield National Banjo Contest in Winfield, Kan.

Also on tap: bluegrass combo Different Strokes, which features Easley-based picker Don Dilelio and a 200-song repertoire.

Once again, Fall Festival will feature a Ride for Raptors bicycle tour. Approximately 250 cyclists, from as far away as Indiana and Florida, will disperse from the Village Green Saturday and travel 25-, 61- or 100-mile routes. Riders take pledges based on their mileage.

The funds will benefit the Raptor Society, an organization dedicated to the conservation of predatory birds. Raptor Society also rehabilitates injured birds and educates the public about the importance of the predators. A variety of winged wonders — think eagle, hawk, owl and falcon — will be on display at Fall Harvest.

After volunteering for several years at Fall Harvest, Vegod took over as the event’s coordinator in 2007. She oversaw everything: marketing, vendors, entertainment, etc.; it was an overwhelming experience.

“When it was over last year I said I was never going to do it again. It was too much work,” said Vegod, owner of the Pendleton-based business Timeless Tours & Travel. “I didn’t know enough last year to know what I needed help with. This year we have a great committee helping delegate a good bit.”

For Fall Harvest Festival 2008, Vegod tapped resources ranging from Clemson Extension agents to Clemson University students for more manpower. She’s still organizing the vendors, though.

Vegod will likely pay extra attention to the Bubba Bake-Off, where her husband, real estate appraiser Tom Vegod will compete again. For last year’s bake-off, Tom baked a cake in the shape of South Carolina, with a small green square of icing representing Pendleton’s Village Green.

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Pendleton Fall Harvest Festival 2008

Entertainment schedule

Oct. 11

10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Charles Wood (banjo and guitar music)

12 – 12:20 p.m. Children’s games

12:20 – 1 p.m. Bubba Bake-Off cake competition

1 – 2 p.m. Pendleton Swingers Square Dance Club

2 – 2:30 p.m. Children’s games

2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Different Strokes Band (bluegrass)

3:30 – 4 p.m. Children’s games

For more information, call (864) 646-8863