Madison County KFTC celebrates Pi(e) Day with 5th annual Pie Auction
More than 60 people came out for the Madison County KFTC chapter’s 5th annual Pie Auction, and it was a rousing success, chock-full of laughter, puns, cheers for KFTC, and, of course, lots of pie! This year’s annual event was held on Saturday, March 14 at Union Church in Berea. The Pie Auction was extra special this year as it landed on Pi Day – 3.14.15, making this a once-in-a-century Pie Auction.
Local KFTC members and Berea College students Jonah Cabiles and Megan McKinney emceed the event. Sam Rosolina, a singer/songwriter from Knoxville, Tennessee played a wonderful mix of songs for the evening’s entertainment.
Dana Beasley-Brown, KFTC’s chairperson, ventured all the way from Bowling Green to join Madison County members for the evening and to share some of her story about how she came to be involved as a member:
Growing up in the midst of both love and poverty, living in the crucible between life giving love and the hope stealing, dream snatching, power pilfering, voice silencing thing we call economic injustice has made me into the hope-filled, empowered, dreamer I am today. Not because I have pulled myself up by my own bootstraps, quite the opposite. It is because many of you here today faithfully gave your time and resources to KFTC. If KFTC did not exist, I would not be the woman I am today.
Dana went on to talk about our vision and even connected the work we do to the work of making good pies.
The vision that we share for our future will not come easily. In fact, it’s a lot like pie making. Pie making is not for the faint of heart. Many have tried and failed. But it is after the trying and failing – the too-dry crust, try again; the burnt crust, try again – that the perfect, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth pie crust is made. It takes patience, exactness and experience, and a little love to make the perfect pie. And it will take no less to make our dreams for Kentucky come true.
Right now, we are facing tough truths about our world. In this moment, we face hate and fear. The type of hate and fear that perpetuates racism, creates bathroom bullies and climate change deniers. It will take courage, experience, and patience -and most of all, love to bring about the change we need…
In our test kitchen called democracy, it might seem like we have flour everywhere and only burnt crust to show for it, but we have a choice. We can take steps toward our vision, or we can spiral back. We know what we need to turn these dreams for our children into reality.
After Dana’s powerful words, the main event got underway with Kent Gilbert serving as live auctioneer. A record number of 32 homemade pies were donated this year, ranging from chess pie to sockeye salmon quiche to gluten-free strawberry rhubarb to everything sweet and savory in between. Folks were generous in their bidding with few pies going for less than $40. The most expensive pie of the evening was a homemade apple pie in a ceramic heart-shaped pie plate that went for $145. Homemade pies made in donated Turning Wheel Pottery pie plates were also some of the most expensive of the evening.
At evening’s end, the Pie Auction brought in just over $1900 to support KFTC’s work! Members are already looking forward to next year’s event and scheming what pies they hope to bake.
Enjoy more photos from the evening by checking out this Flickr album.