the lake effect affect: The thing about pie

Pie Eating Contests have always been one of those things I see on television and watch with a mixture of horror and awe. Similar to a presidential debate or Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest, perhaps one ponders the idea of participating, but quickly brushes off the idea to consider more likely, tasteful pursuits.

That was my official stance on the country fair pastime, that is, until Saturday.

I spent the morning at The Great Pumpkin Farm, reporting on the 26th Annual World Pumpkin Weigh-Off. More on that later.

The Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence turns out to be the epitome of all things autumn related. It combines a 4-H fair, an amusement park and excessive pumpkin-themed events to create an All-American Saturday.

I know you're wondering of what I think an All-American Saturday consists:

Ponies and livestock: check
Ferris wheel: check
Overpriced fried food: check
Candied Apples: check
Food-eating competitions: check

I stumbled upon the latter, a Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest, while making my way to the corn maze. I told my friends I just wanted to see if it was as interesting in real life as on TV.

I would like to blame it on not having eaten lunch yet, because somehow the slices being set in front of contestants started to look more and more appealing. The ladies passing out the pie sensed my weakness.

"Come on! Try it! If you only eat two pieces of pie, no big deal! It's free!"

This was really all I needed to hear. Pie + Free in the same sentence. Never mind she rattled off the short list of rules quickly thereafter: No hands. Put them behind the back for good measure.

I was all in. Me, and about 20 other folks willing to sacrifice their dignity for some free pumpkin pie.

My approach was not competitive in the least. Leisurely pie eating (without looking like I was just in it for the free pie) we'll call it. I downed 4 pieces in 5 minutes. Not too shabby. The winners knocked out 11 and 10 pieces respectively. Somewhat cruelly, they were forced to do "eat-offs" after ties emerged.

No pie eating contest is complete without pictures........