Bucktown Apple Pie Contest Turns 10

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Oct 13, 2014 4:25PM

The Bucktown Apple Pie Contest started in Holstein Park in 2005 and is celebrating its tenth anniversary this Sunday, Oct. 19.

Fifty entrants participated in that first contest. Over the past decade the competition, believed to be the largest of its kind dedicated solely to celebrating (and judging) apple pie, has grown by leaps and bounds. This year, over 125 amateur bakers will vie for baking bragging rights and thousands of guests attended. Organizers expect 2,000 guests this year.

As of post time, organizers were still accepting entries and, if you feel you bake the best apple pie around, you should test your mettle against the others. You’d be required to bake a minimum of two pies and pay a $25 registration fee. Proceeds for the event, as always, benefits Friends of Holstein Park’s efforts to improve the Bucktown park. The first contest raised $1,800; organizers set a goal to raise $15,000 this year.

Your judges for the contest are the Tribune’s Bill Daley, Chopping Block owner Shelley Young and Linda Hoskins, executive director of the American Pie Council. Organizers are also looking for volunteers and, if you’re interested, email them here.

The Bucktown Apple Pie Contest takes place at the Holstein Park fieldhouse (2200 N. Oakley Ave.) 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Oct. 19. Admission is free.