Bear-y pie contest sweet success for five winners

In one of the sweeter decisions of their lives, judges sliced into the task of picking the best berry pie entered in this year's Bear-y Pie contest last Wednesday on the first day of BearFest.

Thirteen pies and pie-style dessert dishes were submitted to the contest, which was judged on criteria such as appearance, aroma, sweetness, thickness, flakiness and taste.

Entries consisted of thimbleberry, blueberry, pecan, apple, cherry and combinations of blueberry and lemon, thimbleberry and salmonberry, strawberry and rhubarb, and huckleberry and blueberry gelee with a vanilla bean curd layer.

In the end, the winner was Max Moulton with his Berry Diplomatic-Thimbleberry pie. A people's choice pie was also selected, which was a thimbleberry and salmonberry vanilla cream pie, concocted by Moira Eidahl and Kendra McDougall.

A group of three boys won the kids' category. Jude Johnson, Michael Barnes and Dylan Brenner won for their caramel apple pie with sourdough crust. Dylan and Michael stayed over Jude's house the night before the contest and decided to bake the pie and enter it, according to a Facebook post by Jude's mom, Devyn Johnson, who owns Sweet Tides bakery. Sweet Tides also entered a pie in the contest.

"I'm pretty dang proud of that kid," Johnson said.

Moulton won bragging rights and a painting of a bear at Anan Wildlife Observatory created by Wrangell artist Brenda Schwartz-Yeager, who also sponsored the contest.

The people's choice winner was presented with a Wrangell-themed print and the kids category winners were given stickers, according to contest facilitator.

The judges simply enjoyed the process.

"We are having a wonderful time," said Anne Luetkemeyer, one of the four judges and the creator of this year's BearFest statue. "I just need a cup of coffee and I'm all set."