Port Angeles pie contest draws 40 entries on Fourth of July

PORT ANGELES — The inaugural Fourth of July apple pie baking contest in Port Angeles attracted so many entries that organizers had to pull judges off the street to have enough to rate the pies before results were scheduled to be announced.

Leslie Robertson, who organized the event, said she had hoped that at least a handful of people would enter the contest, but was surprised when contestants lined up an hour early and entered about 40 pies.

“There were so many pies there was just no way we were going to get through them all in a two-hour period with only three judges,” she said.

“I literally pulled extra judges out of the crowd.”

She found a Port Angeles Lefties outfielder and another guest judge. Judges then had the tough job of deciding who baked the best pie.

Lefties players

Other events on the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce’s Fourth of July celebration included meet-and-greet opportunities with Lefties players, bands, the Firecracker 5K and 10K race, hot dogs and soda, a beer and wine garden, activities for children, a parade through downtown, music and a fireworks show at dusk.

Forks’ Old Fashioned 4th of July warmed up for four days before the grand finale on Tuesday, which included a kiddies’ parade, a grand parade, a salmon bake, a demolition derby and a fireworks show.

Sequim celebrated with patriotic music and activities at the Sequim Elks lodge.

Neah Bay hosted a street fair, parade and fireworks show over the bay.

In Port Angeles, Robertson said she had talked to others who host pie baking competitions in hopes of knowing how many pies to expect. She thought there were only going to be about 15 pies, she said.

“We had to change everything,” she said. “We didn’t have anything the way we thought we were going to.”

The winner of the pie baking contest was Port Angeles resident Brian Walsh, who said he and his 10-year-old son, Henry Walsh, were competing against each other with the same recipe.

They used a recipe by James Kenji Lopez-Alt, an American chef and food writer who the elder Walsh said has a science blog on how to bake the “perfect pie.”

In their pies they used a mixture of Braeburn and Granny Smith apples.

Walsh said he was surprised his pie won, mostly because his son followed the same recipe.

His son’s pie looked better than his, he said, laughing.

“It was fun,” he said. “I’m glad they did this.”

Kate McDermott, Port Angeles resident and author of “Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life,” served as mistress of ceremonies and offered remarks about “pie and life” before announcing the winners.

She told the audience that pie is fun to make and is a forgiving pursuit.

“The No. 1 rule in pie making is to keep everything chilled — especially yourself,” she said.

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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.