By DANIEL JOHNSON
It started out as a whim and is now the venue for a world-record attempt.
Now in its sixth year, Pie in the Park is the signature community fundraising event for the long-awaited Village Green Community Center — the community center which will house a new library, Boys & Girls Club, Senior Center and community meeting space.
On Aug. 21, more than 250 Kingston residents are expected to gather at the Village Green Park to connect with friends, eat and make record-setting bids on extraordinary pies. How much, you might ask? Last year’s top pie went for $2,850. The event raised more than $17,000 for the building effort. This year, the foundation hopes to double that.
Members of the Village Green Foundation Board have sent in an application to the Guinness World Records to register to officially attempt to set the record for the most money ever spent on a single pie. The current record stands at $3,100 for a peanut butter and banana pie bought at auction by Jerry Mumma in Rich Hill, Missouri, on July 6, 2012. The real question is not, “Is the pie worth it?” but “Is the new community center worth it?” And the answer is a resounding yes!
If you really want to roll up your sleeves and show the world your pie-baking talent, there is a gathering on Aug. 20 at the Kingston Cove Yacht Club to bake in its commercial kitchen. The kitchen will be open from 1-9 p.m. Feel free to join your friends and neighbors to bake those pies with high-risk ingredients that have to be made in a commercial kitchen to meet Health District standards.
To sign up to use the Yacht Club kitchen and to register your pies for the auction, contact Nancy Martin at nanjmartin@mac.com or Bobbie Moore at 360-297-2845.
An added attraction this year will be an opportunity to bid on select silent auction items that will include trips, wine packages and one-of-a-kind experiences. There will something at Pie in the Park for everyone with any size budget. At the very least, come and watch the kids’ pie-eating contest, have a piece of pie yourself, and learn about the progress of the new community center.
The mission of the Village Green Foundation is to build and strengthen community. Pie in the Park is an example of this mission in action.
— Daniel Johnson is the executive director of the Village Green Foundation.
