St. Michael pie sale a sweet and swift success

 

by Mary Ann Heidemann–Staff Writer

Between 275 and 300 pies were sold in just over half an hour last Saturday, at the St. Michael Lutheran Church annual pie sale. Long before sales began at 11 a.m. the church and school parking lots were filled to capacity and cars were parked along the road for half a mile. Five minutes after opening, the cashier’s line wrapped around the entire room, and customers carried out stacks of pie boxes piled three, four and five pies deep.

Though precise figures from this year are not yet availab

le, the sale typically puts about $2,800 into the church pie sale fund. “Then when the church needs something, we can get it,” says Norma Beebe, one of the many churchwomen helping out with the sale.

Nine different types of pie were included in the sale: apple, cherry, raisin, pecan, pumpkin, butterscotch, coconut cream, pineapple cream and lemon meringue. The pie team works for three days to create the stock. “The fruit pies can be made a day ahead, but the custard pies are all made on Saturday morning,” according to Beebe. “Three days work,” she noted, “and it’s all gone in 35 minutes.”

In terms of organizing the work, “everyone just pitches in and does what’s needed,” Beebe said proudly. The annual pie sale has been going on for about 15 years.  “After the first 10 years, we took ourselves out to lunch, everyone paying on their own,” said Beebe with a laugh.  Maybe in another five years, the ladies can go out to celebrate again.