Okay, let’s look at my holiday checklist: Thanksgiving (check), Christmas (check), New Year’s (check), National Pie Day. Pies on Parade (What?!)

For the past 11 years Rockland has celebrated National Pie Day with Pies on Parade to benefit the Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry and Fuel Assistance Program.  The AIO Food Pantry serves all of Knox County and serves on average 759 people each month and 313 families.

That includes the communities of Appleton, Camden, Cushing, Friendship, Hope, Owl’s Head, Rockland, Rockport, South Thomaston, Thomaston, Spruce Head, St. George, Tenants Harbor, Union, Vinalhaven, Washington and Warren.

Pies on Parade will take place from 1 to 4 p.m., Jan. 25. More than 650 people are expected to purchase the $30 ticket and visit 26 venues throughout downtown Rockland sampling more than 50 varieties of pies.

“There is no better way to help out people in need then to go around and eat pie all day and knowing that 100 percent of your ticket sale isgoing to directly to the AIO Food Pantry. And all you have to do is eat pie all afternoon,” said P.J. Walter, of the LimeRock Inn, in Rockland. 

Not limited to sweet desserts, the pies will include savory pies, pizza pie, Whoopie Pie, chicken and turkey pot pies, seafood pies, and of course all the many kinds of dessert pies if your sweet tooth happens to be in overdrive that day.

“Last year, we did $20,750 and this year we’re really excited about a new thing we’re trying,” said Cheryl Michaelsen, of the Berry Manor Inn, in Rockland. “AIO also does fuel assistance and that’s what separates them from other food pantries. Maritime Energy is matching up to $2,000 that we raise, so we’re helping that will be an additional $4,000. We’ve raised ticket prices, from $25 to $30, so we’re hoping the amount we raise is up around $25,000. And if a merchant can’t participate, he or she can donate an item to the silent auction, because 100 percent of that also goes to the food pantry.”

Pies on Parade has donated $85,000 to AIO over the past 10 years. With this year’s fundraiser, they hope to top $100,000 for the tenure of the event.

Check in at the Maine Lighthouse Museum the day of the event and get a ticket holder to wear around your neck, a reusable fork and a map of the venues to follow. It can take up to three hours to visit all the venues and sample the pies.

“You’ll see hundreds of people all bundled up with their pie ticket and a fork,” said Michaelsen. “The veterans will tell you that you don’t start out with the sweet pies. You do savories and build up so you don’t hit the sugar wall too soon.”

“It’s almost impossible to hit all the venues and sample all the pies, so you need to be a little selective,” added Walter. “You really have to be on a mission to hit all the venues.”

Michaelsen said: “This year, Schooner Bay Taxi is offering free shuttle service and although you can walk to all the venues, depending on what the weather is, you can hop on a shuttle because it will be doing a continual loop.”

“Every single venue donates their time, the product and the labor, said Michaelsen. “No one gets paid anything. All the inns donate the marketing, the printed material and our time to organize the event. We don’t take any money to pay for any of that so that all the money goes to AIO. It’s their largest operational fundraiser for the year.”

Pies on Parade got its start in 2005 with of the group Historic Inns of Rockland.

“We had worked together for over 15 years as an association and for 15 years had pretty much learned to pool our resources for marketing dollars,” said Michaelsen. “None of us individually could afford a publicist, but by pooling our dollars we’ve been very successful in how we’ve been able to market the area. Pies on Parade was one of the things we created early on when we brought Marti Mayne on board. This is an event that could not only go for a good cause, but would help us brand ourselves and the area.”

The tickets will sell out as they are earlier each year, so if you haven’t purchased yours, the time is now.

“In all likelihood there will not be tickets available the day of the event,” said Walter. “If because of weather or for whatever reason you can’t make it there are no refunds and you just made a $30 donation to AIO, which is tax deductable. You will never see that many people in the winter in downtown Rockland. It’s just amazing.”

“We actually hope the weather stays below freezing because if its not you get all these people tracking mud and debris into all those places and it can get pretty messy,” said ED Hantz, of the Granite Inn.

“The night before pie is literally a four-letter word,” said Michaelsen. “You’ve been up all night making 40 to 60 pies, you’re exhausted and you need to stop and reflect as to why you are doing this. For every dollar we take in, AIO can provide four meals. If you think about that, $30 is buying a family of four, three meals a day for 10 days. It puts it into perspective as to how important it is and how good those aches in your feet feel.”

Two hundred people work behind the scenes to make it all happen and that’s not counting the venues that offer pie samples. It’s a big effort when you count posters and auction items.

The silent auction will be held at Trackside Restaurant, Saturday, Jan. 24, from 4 to 6 p.m. You can bid on overnight getaways and gift certificates just to name a couple of items. All proceeds from the auction go to AIO and their fuel assistance program.

In the past besides New England, people have come from Pennsylvania, Washington and California.  

“Local people are the ones that buy their tickets last and they’re the ones who are disappointed when they hear we are all sold out,” said Michaelsen. “So we can’t emphasis enough the need to get your ticket early because we will sell out.”

Tickets can be purchased at the following locations:

berrymanorinn.com

limerockinn.com

oldgraniteinn.com

Or call 207-596-6611  to learn more.

istoricinnsofrockland.com/pies-on-parade

http://www.aiofoodpantry.org