By ANNE CORR
Special to The Gazette
BOALSBURG — The Boalsburg Memorial Day festivities of 2025 delivered many moments of drama — the historical Zion cemetery Lantern Tour, the reenactors’ camp out, the 5K Run — but none were as dramatic as the pie contest.
Twenty-eight pies were entered this year, and during the judging from 11 a.m. until about noon, the crowd around the pie tables was tense, awaiting the outcome. Folks clutched dollars and eyed the pies, deciding which slice to purchase for $3 as the pie contest organizer, Darlene Bachmann, sliced what remained of each pie after the judges’ sample was carved out. The pie bakers circled, looking apprehensive, while they waited to hear the winners announced.
Garrett Peffer, 13, hovered over his creation, a Kiwi and Cream Pie, because he was eager to taste it. His was one of four entries in the youth division and he took second place, though the judges agreed that his pie tied for first. The declared first-place winner in that division was Fallon McNulty,13, whose Mango Raspberry was topped with a meringue and decorated with fresh raspberries.
In the adult division, Lisa Berkey won first place with her Cherry Rhubarb pie. The recipe came from her mother-in-law and they made it together about 20 years ago for the contest. The pie won second place then, but Berkey has perfected it since to create the top winner. She uses sweet cherries in the pie to complement the tart rhubarb.
“It is a special place and a special time,” Berkey remarked, enjoying the competition and the celebration over the years.
Second place in the adult division went to Pat Jena for a Rustic Apple Pie with a chic, cobbled-together appearance.
“It really looked rustic, but the crust and apples were baked perfectly,” one of the judges commented.
The third-place winner was Amber Peffer, Garrett’s mom, with a Cherry Bourbon Pie that the judge noted had “a creamy, delicately flavored bourbon sauce. Perfect with the cherries!” Amber has been entering the contest for 16 years and considers it a “great event,” though she noted there were fewer pies than usual this year.
Vance Pallazari was a contestant this year with a Blueberry Pie that he had made with berries that he had picked the day before out near McAlevy’s Fort with his grandfather. Pallazari is 20 years old and a senior in college, having entered the contest every year since he was a child. His family was there to cheer him on, enjoying the spectacle and the sampling once the pies were cut.
The cash prizes for the contest are provided by Cramer L&C, though the biggest prize in the contest is the bragging rights that you get to have for a year. You also get to experience the thrill of participation.
Fallon McNulty, the first-place winner in youth, saw it as a gateway.
“My experience in pie baking has evolved and gotten better over the years as I want to take a step toward a culinary job in my future. This contest might just be setting me up for more than just memorial pies,” the teen said.
Next year, the community is urged consider entering the Boalsburg Fruit Pie contest on Memorial Day. Here’s a recipe that you can practice with that I made with my granddaughter, Lilah Corr, back in 2017 when she was 5 years old. Baking with a child has lasting effects. Ask Amber Peffer, a mother who knows the power of pie. She laughed that “my kids dominate the kids division.” Make a pie and connect to an All-American tradition that endures and empowers.
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE
(based on the recipe by Florence Fabricant of the NYT)
Pie contest judge Jayne Cawthern, a true pie aficionado, confided that “My kids joke that strawberry rhubarb always wins, but that’s not true. Last year was an apple pie.”
CRUST
- 2 ½ cups AP flour, plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 15 tablespoons unsalted butter (almost two sticks), very cold and cut into
- tablespoon pieces
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon milk (for brushing on the top)
- 1 teaspoon raw or regular sugar (for sprinkling on the top)
PIE FILLING
- 3 cups rhubarb cut into one-inch pieces, about 1 pound
- 3 cups strawberry halves
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or Tapioca
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Prepare the pastry: combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a Cuisinart bowl and cut in the butter. Drizzle in the water, using as little as possible and pulsing the knife blade quickly. Gather two-thirds of the dough and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Do the same with the remaining third. Flatten into disks. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When the dough is chilled, roll out the larger piece and line a nine-inch pie pan.
2. Combine rhubarb and strawberries in a bowl. Mix sugar and cornstarch and fold gently into the strawberries and rhubarb. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F.
4. Spoon fruit into pie crust and dot with butter. Roll out the remaining pastry, cut it into strips half an inch wide and weave a lattice to cover the pie. Seal, trim, and crimp the edges. Brush the lattice with milk and sprinkle with a bit of raw sugar.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 40 minutes, until the pastry has browned and the filling begins to bubble. Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting, for at least three hours or overnight to set.
