Calling all bakers for the 2021 Blue Ribbon Apple Pie baking contest to be held on Monday, July, 26th at the Lebanon Area Fair. The contest is sponsored by The Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs.

Over 100 fairs across Pennsylvania will offer cash prizes for the best pie. Lebanon Area Fair’s contest is the preliminary competition that leads to the selection of the final Blue Ribbon Apple Pie winner held each January at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. The first place winner at the Farm Show will be awarded a cash prize of $500.00 for their winning entry. Other cash prizes will also be available for the top five entries.

The rules for the Lebanon Area Fair’s contest are as follows:

1. Open to any individual amateur baker who is a Pennsylvania resident. One entry per person.

2. Entrants may NOT have won 1st place in this Blue Ribbon Apple Pie contest at any other fair in 2021.

3. Entry to be a pie that must include at least 60% apples in the filling. It does not need to be a “traditional” two-crusted apple pie and it can have a variety of fillings. All ingredients and decorations must be edible.

4. The entire pie must be submitted for judging in a food-safe disposable pie pan. (All pans, plates, and dishes are considered to be disposable and will not be returned.)

5. The recipe for the pie and pie crust must be submitted with the entry. It should be submitted on an 8 ½” by 11” sheet of paper. The recipe must list all the ingredients, quantities, and preparation instructions. The entrant’s name, address, and phone number must be printed on the backside of all the pages. (All recipes and pies will become the property of the Fair or Pennsylvania Farm Show and will not be returned.)

6. Refrigeration is not available at the Fair or Pennsylvania Farm Show. Entries that require refrigeration after baking must indicate so in the recipe. Those entries will not be sold, auctioned, or otherwise distributed for consumption after judging for food safety reasons.

7. Judging will be based on the following criteria:

8. Unlike most all other contests at the Fair, this specialty baking contest does NOT require pre-entry. Exhibitors can simply show up with their entry and required paperwork on Monday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to noon. Winners will be announced at 2 p.m.

So dig out that favorite Apple Pie recipe and give it a try. You could end up being the Blue

Ribbon Apple Pie winner at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. For more information on entry requirements, obtain a Lebanon Area Fair Premium Book at the Lebanon Area Fair Office on 80 Rocherty Road, Lebanon, Pennsylvania 17042, or contact the contest coordinator Rachel Siegel at (717) 274-1197.