Church women make pies with love and laughter

Janet Hepp, McCook, prepares pie crusts for the Red Willow County Fair food booth operated by the youth group of Memorial United Methodist Church, McCook. Proceeds from the sale of pie-by-the-slice, whole pies and meals at the fair food booth fund youth group projects and activities.
(Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Daily Gazette)

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"Their pies are famous," said Gina Stamm of McCook, who helps organize the annual effort to make pie crusts, fill the crusts, bake the pies and transport them to the fairgrounds.

"We make a good variety of pies the first day," said pie crust artiste Janet Hepp of McCook, including peach, apple, blueberry, cherry, rhubarb, strawberry-rhubarb, sour cream raisin, banana cream, coconut cream, lemon meringue and chocolate meringue. "At the end of the day, we take a tally of what's left," she said, determine the favorites and use that as a guide for the pies they make the next day. The best sellers year after year? Believe it or not, strawberry-rhubarb and sour cream raisin.

Janet and fellow pie crust lady Ethyl Siegfried, also of McCook, spend several days before the fair making crusts -- normally 350 to 475 crusts (tops and bottoms), one year as many as 600.

The women won't reveal their recipes or their technique to make the tender, flaky crust, except to say each uses her grandmother's recipe. Ethyl said, "We've made them the same way for years and years," and they've always used a pie pan that Ethyl received as a wedding gift in 1954 as the size guide.

There is a secret to the almost-legendary pie crust, but -- both women smile sweetly -- neither is tellin'.

The unbaked crusts are stacked in 25s, and frozen until the evening before they're needed for the fair.

Then, bright-and-early each morning of the fair -- at 6 a.m. -- the second shift of pie aficionados arrives, to assemble and bake the pies.

"We're all so territorial," Janet laughed. "Annette (Wagner) and Janet (Kool) -- they're the stirrers. Kim (Korgan) and Kathy (Latta) do the meringue, and Evie (Caldwell) does the berry pies."

"Marlene (Foster) is the crimper," Ethyl said, and added, "And leave the oven alone. No peeking."

Gina said, "Each pie is made with love." "And laughter ... love and laughter. It's a fellowship," Janet added, a fun-filled activity that has become a tradition for the church that is celebrating its first 125 years.

Gina said that part of the appeal of the women's pies is the generous amounts of filling. "And each pie is cut into six pieces -- not eight. These are BIG slices of pie," she said.

"And this year, we have soft-serve ice cream," Gina said. "Yes! Pie ala mode is back," Janet exclaimed.

The Red Willow County Fair is Wednesday, July 29, through Sunday, Aug. 2. The Methodist food booth is open each day from 10 a.m. until midnight.

As well as selling pie-by-the-slice at the fair, the pie ladies will sell whole pies. Call Kathy Latta, (308) 345-1147, or stop by the food booth on the fairgrounds.