Pies reign at annual ag expo

Commissioner Alan Hall and Howard Updyke sample their way through a row of pies, judging on both appearance and taste. STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON
Commissioner Alan Hall and Howard Updyke sample their way through a row of pies, judging on both appearance and taste.  STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON

Commissioner Alan Hall and Howard Updyke sample their way through a row of pies, judging on both appearance and taste.
STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON

BY STACI WILSON

In its 24 years, Susquehanna County Dairy Day has grown to be the premier agricultural event of the season held March 1 on the Elk Lake campus.
Bringing farmers and property owners together with ag vendors, as well as offering up opportunities for education through DEP and Penn State Extension.
But the focus of the day is really the pie.
First-time contest entrant Lois Seigfried of Fairdale brought a cheese pie and came away with a top three placement in the adult division.
“It’s mostly all dairy,” Seigfried said, “all but the sugar and cornstarch.”
Her husband, Butch, rates the cheese pie as “excellent.”
“I just had it last night,” he said adding that he tops his with a bit of karo syrup.
And it’s a family recipe, handed down the generations from her mother. Seigfried said she’s been making the pie for “many, many years.”
“We have it at every family function,” Seigfried said.
“It’s a mainstay,” Butch said. “It’s gotta’ be there.”
About 34 pies were entered into the contest, and then divided into youth and adult categories.
In addition to Seigfried’s cheese pie, a banana cream pie by Olivia Mitchell, and a Chocolate Caramel Pecan Silk pie by

Winners of the 2013 Dairy Day Pie Contest are, from left: Lois Seigfried, Robin Campbell, Emory Bewley, Olivia Mitchell and Vicki Clark.STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON

Winners of the 2013 Dairy Day Pie Contest are, from left: Lois Seigfried, Robin Campbell, Emory Bewley, Olivia Mitchell and Vicki Clark.STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON

Robin Campbell also took top honors in the adult division.
The top three pies in the youth division were a Caramel Apple Cheesecake by Vicki Clark; a Beautiful Blueberry by Emory Bewley; and a Coconut Crème by Gavin Bewley.
Judges for the pie contest were: Dan Puzo, Rick Empet, Howard Updyke, Jeremiah Fearnley, Dave Nogan and Commissioner Alan Hall.
The pie auction, which followed the contest, raised over $5000. Proceeds from the auction benefit Susquehanna County Dairy Promotions and the Susquehanna County 4-H Dairy Program.
Although many of the pies pull in bids of over $100, Matt Fearnley’s peanut butter pie topped the day’s bids, pulling in $290 (or $36.25 per slice).
In addition to the vendors, educational sessions and pie contest, Dairy Day also features the Dairy Princess/Promotion Court members who dish up ice cream samples throughout the event.
Susquehanna County Dairy Day is sponsored by Penn State Extension and coordinated with the help of the Dairy Day Committee members.

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