NEIA Pie Championships event to benefit veterans ...

The Midwest Veterans of America, an organization newly created and recently registered with the office of the Iowa Secretary of State to assist local military veterans, hosted the third annual Northeast Iowa Pie Championships Sunday, January 29 at the Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank Community Room in Waukon, with a “celebrity” pie-eating contest (pictured below) being a featured highlight of that event. In the photo at left, this year’s pie-eating contest winner, Patrick Monroe, is pictured with his championship plaque. Monroe finished eating his vanilla cream pie in a reported time of 35 seconds, defeating last year’s champion, KNEI radio personality Erik Kelly, and the inaugural event champion, Sandy Halverson of the S&D Cafe, to claim this year’s crown. Halverson reportedly finished second for the second consecutive year. Pictured below, left to right, are this year’s pie-eating contestants in action: Doug Kubitz of the Waterville Fire Department, Sandy Halverson of S&D Cafe, Erik Kelly of KNEI Radio, Patrick Monroe of Monroe Auction Service and Trent Thesing of Jet's Meats. The funds raised from additional activities at the event, such as a pie judging contest, a pie buffet, pie auction and pie bingo, totaled just over $1,000, according to event organizer Jerry Halverson of Waukon. He said those funds will now be used by the Midwest Veterans of America organization to recognize and assist local veterans with something as simple as gift certificates to local grocery stores or any other need they may have. "The only thing we are requiring of any veterans who reach out to us is their name and their need," Halverson said. For more information on the event or the Midwest Veterans of America, contact Halverson at 563-568-5275. Standard photos by Joe Moses.