Katie Alexander, superintendent of the decades-old dessert contest, is getting ready for the big day July 11, a Saturday, kicking off the San Miguel Basin Fair. What used to be a pie contest for the annual rodeo has morphed into a the dessert contest as we know it with pies, cakes, cookies and ice cream.
Alexander said there are at least 18 categories this year, and people should plan ahead for the event. Those who are making items should know that they can drop them off to the Norwood School’s All-Purpose Room that day beginning at 2 p.m. Judging, which starts at 5 p.m., should be complete before 6 p.m., and afterwards the public is invited to the tasting. Following the sampling of the basin’s finest desserts, awards will be presented.
Judging is done blindly, and desserts are labeled only with numbers.
There are categories for professionals, non-pros and youth. A non-resident category also exists, as the contest is really for those who reside in the territory of the Basin, from Telluride to Norwood and on to the west end of Montrose County.
Contestants can enter double and single-crust pies, frosted and unfrosted cakes, dropped and rolled cookies, and also any type of ice cream. For a full list of categories, the public should visit the San Miguel Basin Fair’s handbook.
First-place winners, the grand champions of each category, will receive the embroidered aprons, made possible by dessert contest sponsors but created by Alexander through her business, The Coach’s Mother. Reserve champions receive the engraved wooden spoons. Though Mary Fourney made them for years, Alexander is now doing them with her daughter, Madison DiPaola.
At one point, Alexander wanted to swap the aprons for rolling pins, but the contest lovers were firm in that they preferred the traditional aprons.
Alexander agreed the emotions sometimes run high at the dessert contest. Sometimes people bring in special family recipes they’ve recreated; winning can bring some of the participants to tears.
Last year saw a good turn-out with at least 70 entering the contest. This year, Alexander also hopes for people to prepare, bake and make their desserts and enter. She’s grateful for those like Melissa Richardson and Melissa Merrill, ladies who bring their kids and other little ones to compete in the youth categories. She’s grateful to Carl McKinney, who in spite of his health challenges, still shows up to emcee the event and wouldn’t have it any other way. She said she couldn’t keep doing any of it without her daughter.
Alexander loves seeing generations of families, grandmothers with mothers and children, enjoying themselves and celebrating their desserts.
It’s a lot of work for her, but she does enjoy it and looks forward to it every summer. She’s only got one rule for the event: "no complaining." She wants everyone to have a good time. She sure will, as she is planning on giving out approximately 36 aprons for the July 11 dessert celebration.
Alexander agreed the whole thing is very special. In a world full of AI, data centers, unrest and more, the community can come down to the Norwood School and be a part of a decades-old tradition, one that was established before the cell phone, the internet or virtual reality.
