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Pie Day set for Saturday
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Pie, anyone?
What began as a goodwill gesture on the part of the South Dakota attorney general has grown into an annual event expected to draw thousands to the state Capitol this weekend.
The 10th Annual Pie Day will be Saturday, with free pie, ice cream, cookies, juice and coffee served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST on the first floor of the Capitol Building.
The tradition started in 1998, after then-Attorney General Mark Barnett put an end to lunch being served on Election Day at the Wasta community center. State law forbids any polling place to provide treats for visitors in an attempt to prevent anyone from using enticements (that is, pie) to sway voters.
The lunch was a community fundraiser, Wasta resident Margee Willey said.
"It was a nice little amount to go into our coffers," she said.
But, she said, "We got busted."
Fortunately, Barnett had a sense of humor about the affair, and though some Wasta residents were sore about giving up the fundraiser and social hour, Willey recalls: "It was great fun. We keep our sense of humor about it. It's generally that South Dakota sense of humor that gets us through so many things."
To make up for it, Barnett told Wasta residents he would buy them a piece of pie and a cup of coffee. And he did, sending a bus to Wasta for the first Pie Day that December.
Barnett's successor, Larry Long, has continued the tradition.
Sara Rabern, a spokeswoman for Long's office, said they usually serve about 300 pies at Pie Day, along with 40 or 50 dozen cookies and brownies. Most pies are donated by local residents or state employees. Local sponsors donate ice cream, drinks and supplies.
Residents of Wasta are special guests.
At 8 a.m. Saturday, they'll board a 48-passenger charter bus to Pierre for the 10th time. They'll bring cookies and sandwiches, and they'll sing Christmas carols along the way.
The event has turned out to be just as much fun as voting at the community hall used to be, because it's all about getting together over good food.
The tradition started decades ago, because coming in to vote was one of the few times some rural residents saw each other, Willey said. They'd linger over sandwiches and coffee and talk about how the harvest went.
That's what the event at the Capitol is like, she said, even with all the singing and trees and festivity. It's casual; volunteers walk right up and offer to warm up your coffee, just like you were at their home.
"I think it's just a very nice thing to do; it's very South Dakota-ish to me," she said.
The attention to food reminds her of her mother. "Someone would call, and she'd say, 'Have you eaten?'"
This year, there may be more visitors than ever. Pie Day is always held while the Capitol Christmas trees are on display, but this will be the first time that tours of the Governor's mansion are also offered.
"A lot of people plan their bus tours around that day," even without the mansion tours, Rabern said. "Our pie may be gone by 12."
Mansion tours will be given from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. At the same time, first lady Jean Rounds will sign copies of the South Dakota Governor's Residence Cookbook at the mansion.
Pie Day events will include entertainment. Dakota Harmony of Huron will perform at 11 a.m., Music Makers and Friends at noon, the Minnehaha Mandskor (Norwegian Men's Chorus) at 2 p.m., Paul Vande Velde Piano at 3 p.m., and the Black Hills State University Jazz Ensemble at 4 p.m.
More than 90 Christmas trees line the hallways of the Capitol Building this year. Trees are decorated by businesses, nonprofit organizations, communities and governmental offices, who apply for the privilege of decorating trees following the 2007 theme, "The Sparkle of Christmas."
Visitors can enjoy the trees between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. CST daily through Wednesday, Dec. 26.
For more information about Pie Day, call 773-3215 or go to www.state.sd.us/attorney.
Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com
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