By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Table manners were an unnecessary nicety at the pie-eating contest Saturday afternoon. From the word “go,” the spoonfuls and handfuls of apple pie were shoved into pie-holes with reckless disregard for tidiness.
“The goal is to eat as fast as possible,” instructed Anna Cotterman, the historic farm specialist for the Wood County Park District, who was the baker of the apple crumb top pies.
The pie tin had to be clean for anyone to be declared winner.
“You’ve got to get that crust, too, folks,” Cotterman said.
Water was furnished before the contest began, to help wash down the full-sized pies. And Cotterman offered words of caution about not gagging – since no one wanted to see those pies a second time.
Three pie-eating contests were conducted at the annual Heritage Farm Fest held on the grounds of the Carter Historic Farm. The first was for local dignitaries, the second for regular adult folks, and the third for children.
Cotterman supplied all the contestants with large spoons, to spare them from having to bury their faces into the gooey apple pies.
But some felt the utensils would only slow them down, and chose instead to scoop the pie with their bare hands.
At the end of the adult competition, champion David Winters, of Bloomdale, raised his hands in victory while others were still eating. For his willingness to devour an entire pie in a few minutes and risk possible stomach issues to follow, Winters was awarded a bag of flour made from wheat grown at Carter Historic Farm and milled in Grand Rapids.
Winters’ strategy was simple. “Spoon and swallow,” then repeat. Chewing was optional.
“It was good actually,” he said of the crumble top pie. “I wish I could have enjoyed it.”
Winters, whose beard stayed remarkably clean during the contest, did not starve himself prior to the competition.
“I was actually just eating before this,” he said, listing off his lunch of a bratwurst and soup at the farm fest. “I just love to eat.”
He also loves to compete, according to his wife, Kayla. At last year’s Heritage Farm Fest, Winters won a doughnut eating contest. And as a youth, he also won a pie eating contest. That pie was pecan – Saturday’s pie was much better, he said.
Earlier in the day, local celebrities had a face-off over another batch of apple pies. The victor in that competition was Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn.
“He was a pie eating machine,” said Wood County Park District Director Chris Smalley, who also competed for that championship.
Though defeated, Smalley expressed admiration for the sheriff’s skills.
“He used the spoon like a shovel. It looked like a cartoon character eating pie.”
When the contest was called, Smalley wasn’t willing to part with the portion of his pie still uneaten. He carried it around the farm fest, and leisurely finished it off.
“I’m not going to let good pie go to waste,” Smalley said with a smile.
The Wood County Park District’s annual Heritage Farm Fest celebrates the harvest at Carter Historic Farm, located northeast of Bowling Green.
Saturday’s event included live music, wagon rides, tea and history talks, old-fashioned laundry station, scarecrow contest, cider-pressing, wagon rides, games, agricultural interpretation, ice-cream and cobbler, and lunch sustainably grown and holistically-raised on the farm.
Carter Historic Farm is a working farm and living history cultural center representing life in the Depression era 1930s and 1940s. Public programs in traditional life skills and sustainable agricultural practices are offered at the farm, as well as community events, field trips and tours.
The farm grounds are open daily from 8 a.m. until 30 minutes past sunset. The farm buildings are open to visitors on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. Anyone wanting a group tour should call in advance to schedule.
