(NewsNation) — Baking champ Linda Skeens swept the Virginia County Fair, winning 25 different ribbons for her cooking, baking and crafting.
Skeens took first, second and third place in the cookie category. She took first, second and third place for candy and savory breads. And that is not all, she swept all three awards in the embroidery category.
A Facebook post announcing her wins went absolutely viral.
“I don’t know what to think about it,” Skeens said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “Prime.” “I’ve been entering fairs for like 30 years and winning ribbons. And cooking for 58 years for my husband and family. I don’t know what to make of it all. But I’m excited about it. And I’m enjoying it.”
Skeens didn’t initially come forward right after winning all the blue ribbons, but her fans on the internet were determined to find her.
“This little girl Mason in Texas found me through my granddaughter and did an interview on the radio,” Skeens said. “And then it went crazy after that.”
Her fans wrote a song for her and had T-shirts made in her honor.
Skeens doesn’t have an email address or a cellphone, but she did just join TikTok.
“They told me I had thousands of viewers,” she said. “And I’m like, hello. I didn’t know what to make of it.”
Her account, Linda Skeens Blue Ribbon, allows her to interact with her fans. She posted her first video last week and now has about 63,000 followers.
Skeens shared with her followers that she was diagnosed with leukemia, but says she is “doing really great” and says the doctor told her, “I’m right where I need to be.”
Skeens also shared the secret to her award-winning baking skills.
“I think it’s just that try really hard and everything I do and I put a lot of love in what I do,” she said. “And I enjoy it. That’s the thing.”