COURTESY
NEWPORT — Saturday, Aug. 25 marked the 45th annual Apple Pie Crafts Fair in downtown Newport. The event attracted more than 5,000 people to the Newport Town Common to enjoy 130-plus booths of handmade crafts, live music, the firemen’s famous chicken barbecue, and lots and lots of pie. The fair is an annual favorite tradition that is a fundraiser for the Library Arts Center — a community arts center in Newport. As always, one of the highlights of the fair was the popular apple pie contest. Each year, the contest attracts some of the top home bakers in the region, and the first 12 entries are judged for the competition.
The Library Arts Center selects different community members and local luminaries to serve as judges for the contest. This year, the following were chosen for the duty: Chef Robert Steele — executive chef at the Old Courthouse Restaurant, Patti Warren — former principal of Richards School, and Priscilla Hagebusch — an expert baker (who also happened to make 45 pies this year for the pie sale, and over 1,000 cookies for the cookie walk at the Richards Library Festival). These three took on the task of tasting all 12 pies and judging them on their impressions of the overall appearance, taste, and texture of each contest pie.
The Library Arts Center is pleased to announce the 2018 Apple Pie Contest winners:
This year, First Prize went to Karla Elsaesser of Old Bridge, New Jersey. Second Prize went to Sarah Bocko of Newport. Third Prize went to Carol Dodge of Newport.
Winners were presented with prize ribbons and maple syrup from Stetson’s Sugarhouse, as well as bragging rights for the coming year.
In addition to the pie contest, the fair boasts a huge pie sale to raise funds for Library Arts Center programs. Many of the pies donated are apple, but pies of all kinds are welcome. The pie sale is always a sellout event, and this year was no exception, all according to organizers. More than 225 pies donated for the sale were completely sold out by 11 a.m.
The Apple Pie Crafts Fair is presented annually by the Library Arts Center, and is made possible by generous sponsorship support from more than 30 local businesses, and help from more than 50 volunteers. For more information about the Apple Pie Crafts Fair, as well as Library Arts Center exhibits, classes and other programs, visit libraryartscenter.org.
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