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Eyes bleary from baking until midnight, boys and girls lined up at 9 a.m. yesterday for judging before a formidable panel of white-haired women who can size up a cake in less time than it takes to cream butter and sugar together. The pronouncements of these women will translate into dollars in the annual baked goods auction of the Carroll County 4-H Fair. The grand champion baked item, usually a cake, traditionally fetches the highest price - well over $1,000. The money goes not to the baker, but to the 4-H treasury that keeps the 103-year-old county fair true to its agricultural roots.

In a county where agriculture remains the biggest industry, even 4-H isn't getting sacred-cow status as Carroll County officials ponder budget cuts to erase a projected $5 million budget shortfall.One of many cuts proposed for the 1996-1997 budget is the elimination of up to $139,548 for 4-H and home economics programs provided by the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service.Outraged supporters of 4-H warn that if the county pulls its money from the program, agriculture will be hurt because 4-H helps promote farming careers.

Certain occurrences in Carroll County are inevitable. Harried drivers seem to get stuck behind the most sluggish tractors on the highway. Neighbors with gardens usually have plenty of zucchinis to spare. And no matter how much the community expands and evolves, the Carroll County 4-H and FFA Fair is always one of the biggest events of summer. Last year's weeklong fair drew more than 70,000 to the Carroll County Agriculture Center in Westminster - toddlers and seniors, farmers and office workers, volunteers, 4-H participants and visitors from across Carroll and beyond.

From Farm Queen to financial adviser -- an easy transition for BeckyLynch.A graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Lynch said she pursued her degree in agricultural economics becauseshe wanted to combine her interest in finances with her background in farming."

The high-jumping mules, racing pigs and hefty draft horses return to Maryland's largest free fair tomorrow. The weeklong event features spirited auctions of livestock and edible art, and whimsical contests testing skills such as pie-eating, watermelon-seed-spitting and milk-mustache-making. Also, a petting zoo, a welding competition and a roving robot make their debuts this year. But the highlight of the 107th annual Carroll County 4-H/FFA Fair in Westminster is the new agriculture arena, a $5.5 million building with a show ring and enough room to show 1,000 animals to several hundred spectators.

After seven hours of grueling surgery on her spine, the patient awoke and felt the good news -- right down to her toes."Right after the surgery, I could wiggle my toes," said Amanda Gail "Mandy" Kent. "I am really excited because I haven't been able to move my feet or legs for about a year and a half."The 16-year-old Hampstead resident is no stranger to hospitals and operations. She has undergone 22 operations since she was born with spina bifida, a congenital defect that can result in partial paralysis.

Nearly 500 bidders drove the price of a loaf of bread up to $110. An excavating contractor paid $3,000 for a cake judged grand champion. Colorfully iced replicas of a farm, a tractor and popular cartoon characters each sold for close to $300. The annual cake auction at the Carroll County 4-H FFA Fair sparks lively bidding among friendly competitors, high prices willingly paid for prize-winning baked goods and smiles all around from contestants eager to show off their culinary creativity.

This is the week in which a 4-H family has two homes: the regular one, and the one in Timonium, where the Maryland State Fair bounces some participants back and forth as if they were on a bungee cord.Until last night's auction of animals raised by 4-H and Future Farmers of America youth, the Hester family of northern Carroll County commuted for at least an hour between home and fair, sometimes twice a day. Like most 4-H'ers, twins Emily and Jessica, 16, Paul, 13, and Abigail, 9, had creatures in both places relying on them.

In a kitchen at Carroll County Agriculture Center yesterday, Nona Schwarzbeck hollered orders like a general, commanding volunteers preparing fried chicken, side dishes, desserts and drinks for hungry crowds at the annual Carroll County 4-H/Future Farmers of America Fair.Schwarzbeck, her husband, Joe, and a team of volunteers cook enough food to feed an army during the eight-day event, which started Thursday. Hundreds of 4-H youths and their parents, plus countless visitors, pass daily through the dining room at Burns Hall to get a home-cooked meal.

The Carroll County Agricultural Center is moving forward with plans to build a rabbit barn with funds donated in memory of a young woman dedicated to ideals of 4-H and to the care of animals. The Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission yesterday reviewed details for a 3,520-square-foot barn set for construction at the center in Westminster. The building, slated for completion next summer, will be within easy walking distance of the Danele Shipley Memorial Arena, which opened in July.