First-ever Pie Championships benefits local Disabled American Veterans chapter

The 2015 Northeast Iowa Pie Championships took place Sunday, January 25 at the Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank Community Room in Waukon in an effort to raise funds for the Hamre-Giesen Chapter of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) based in the Waukon area. Among the activities at the inaugural event was a "celebrity" pie-eating contest (pictured below), which was won by Sandy Halverson of the S&D Cafe for being the first to finish eating her pie within the two-minute time limit. Local "celebrities" listed as contestants in the pie-eating contest included (seated clockwise from bottom left in below photo) Sandy Halverson, Jim Adam of the "Back to Country" band, Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick, Hamre-Geisen DAV Chapter Commander Erik Nykannen, Allamakee County Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry Schellhammer, Jean Brink of Queen Jean Quilting, Eric Kelly of KNEI Radio and Mike Monroe of Monroe Auction Service. Additional activities at the event included a pie buffet for sampling, a pie judging contest, pie auction and various other pie-related games and activities. Standard photo by Bob Beach.