Expect a tasty turnout at annual Great NH Pie Festival

Even the second-place pies look darn good at the NH Pie Festival. (Courtesy photo)

MILTON - If you like pie, the N.H. Farm Museum will be the place to be this Sunday for the 9^th Annual Great NH Pie Festival.

Dozens of local bakeries are donating pies for visitors to sample at the event, which begins at noon and lasts until the pie's all gone. In addition to pies provided by local bakers, visitors will have a chance to sample entries in this year's amateur bake-off competition.

Festival organizers are still accepting entries from amateur bakers who are interested in earning bragging rights for a full year so they can boast that their pie won the coveted best-in-show award. So if anyone has a favorite pie recipe, here's a chance to prove that pie is the best in the state. Contestants can choose from several different pie categories: Apple, Fruit, Savory, and Non-fruit.

The Pie Festival is an important fundraiser for the 47-year-old museum and is a highlight of the fall season for pie enthusiasts of all ages. For children, there will be a kids pie eating contest, and a category for junior bakers 12 and under.

Also, a raffle is being held in conjunction with the festival; prizes include a getaway for two at the Inn at Mill Falls, a wine tasting for up to 20 at Flag Hill Winery, and a free round of golf at either the Winnipesaukee Golf Club or the Cocheco Country Club. There is also a flight to Portugal among the prizes.

Admission is $10 and includes a museum tour and a tractor ride, as well as the chance to sample lots of great pie. Members receive a discount and kids under three are free.

The museum is located on Route 125 in Milton, just off Exit 18 of the Spaulding Turnpike. To learn more, please call the NH Farm Museum at 652-7840. Or visit farmmuseum.org.