The whispers began weeks ago, haunting the halls of BUHS.

“The fair…the fair…the fair….”

As summer break drew to a close, students began to look forward to the next big event, the Tri-County Fair. All throughout campus, the whispers turned into a buzz, and as the days passed and the fair became more prominent in time, that buzz transformed into a roar.

While most students were excited to ride their favorite rides, get airbrushed tattoos, or attend the rodeo, Jeniffer Velasquez  and I had our eyes on the crowning gem of the fair – the pie competition.

Last year, Jeniffer and I spent the opening evening of the fair covering the pie competition. While humble at its roots, the pie competition is no modest event. The pie competition is the epitome of celebration, the quintessence of community. A paragon for all competitions to follow, the pie competition is truly an event to behold. And this year, the flavor was cherry, which, as Jerry the announcer proclaimed to the crowd gathering at the pie competition, “is the fifth most popular pie flavor.”

According to a volunteer who introduced herself as Margie, this year’s pie turn out was lower than it had been in previous years. This year, there were about “18 pies, junior and adult combined,” claimed Margie, who has been a staple volunteer at the fair, donating time to set up exhibits and help run competitions for the past eleven years.

However, not everything was different from last year. The competition again took place between the Charles Brown Auditorium and the floriculture building, a cozy area that reflects the close-knit togetherness that only pies can inspire within a community. Another constant this year was Larry Stallings, who returned to help judge the pie competition along with Monica Stallings, Valerie Casey, and Brenda, who Jeniffer and I unfortunately did not get to meet this year.

Larry judges “a number of pie competitions, but none as unique as [the Tri-County fair pie competition].” Other pie competitions require an entry fee, and most do not raise money for charity. But the “remarkable” Tri-County fair pie competition is entry fee-free and always raises money for charity.

This year, money from pie sells is going to pay for the medical expenses of Ashley Biehl, a BUHS alumna who survived a 12 hour heart attack and required a heart transplant at the University of Utah.

As the pie competition commenced, the audience talked cheerily with each other in the stands, and you could not deny the sense of excitement exuding from them. BUHS sophomore Emma Ranney spoke with audience member Laura Mogg, who entered in a pie of her own. Mogg grew up baking pies with her mother, and began entering the fair’s pie competition in 2000. Mogg “[bakes] pies learned on failures,” each tasting better than the next, and although she has won the preserve competition, has yet to win the pie competition.

The junior pie competition concluded quickly, and while the judges moved on to taste the adults’ pies, Jerry announced the winners of the junior competition. Second place went to Kennedy Bigham, who was either too timid or too awestruck by her achievement to be interviewed by Jeniffer and I. First place went to none other than Arissa Thompson, the daughter of BUHS’s very own Mrs. Thompson, who teaches English.

Thompson, who does not bake often but “[loves] making pie,” told Jeniffer and I that her pie was made with a “weird mixture of cherry,” but what was most important was her crust. The secret to making a stand-out crust, according to Thompson, is to “make sure the crust is cooled,” by keeping ingredients in the refrigerator as you use them. Thompson also used vodka to improve the crust, which also happened to be a key ingredient to the adult winner’s pie as well.

Thompson won $100 for first place, courtesy of Anne Marie’s Kitchen Boutique, which sponsor the pie competition. Thompson plans on saving the money.

This year’s first place adult competitor was Pam Foster, who learned to bake pies from her husband, who enters the pie competition every year. Foster calls herself a “pie rookie,” but she has a few tricks up her sleeve. Foster also used vodka in her crust, to keep the dough “workable” and “moist” as she made it, and to ensure that the dough came out “flaky.” One great tip Foster gave us was to “always use lard, not shortening.”

Foster was “so excited” and “shocked,” because she thought she had “no shot.” As we talked to Foster, a rare rainstorm broke out across the desert valley floor, making it clear that with pie, anything is possible.