Trip 39: Great American Pie Festival 2011

State Parks visited: 31

Our first taste of the Great American Pie Festival...the festival that changed my life in countless ways...was, personally, a small affair.  Olivia and I enjoyed our solo trip amongst 25,000 pie-loving strangers.  Our second time in attendance, last year, saw us joined by Rob and Chris.  Well this year...our third...saw our group multiply.  This year our group consisted of the four of us, Jen, Aimee, Xandra, and eventually Priscilla and Erika.  While there we ran into my friend Tori and her husband.  I have determined that the Great American Pie Festival is the sugar-coated, non-lethal version of the horror movie 'The Ring.'  It is meant to be shared, much like pie.

We walked up to find the Key West Key Lime Pie Company passing out their famous Chocolate-Dipped Key Lime Pie On A Stick.  Whew!  And, yum!!  As a Florida girl, it embarrasses me to admit that I am no fan of Key Lime pie.  This, however, deserved a moment to be savored.  That's about all the time I had before it melted and fell apart!

After we got our initial fill of pie...and I honestly don't remember how many slices of what that any of us had...we headed over to the kids' area and let Olivia get some play time in.  We ran into a real character on the way:

Olivia had a great time playing in all three bounce houses, and I think I may have a future Warrior Dasher on my hands:

Who am I kidding?  She's my kid...OF COURSE I have a future Warrior Dasher on my hands!

Somewhere around then, Jen and Aimee left for home and Erika and Priscilla showed up...right in time for more Chocolate-Dipped Key Lime Pie On A Stick!  Mmmm!!!

Back to the kids' area for Olivia to make her own pie...this year, apple...and a moment of horror when she realized she was covered in flour:

*snicker*

I actually posted that picture on the American Pie Council's facebook page and it won Olivia a festival t-shirt!

This year was much like years past...pie coma, play area, pie coma, play area.  Occasional character sightings....

Occasional run-ins with Pie Thugs...

But this year was a little different.  We were surrounded by friends.  A lot of them.  And every year the festival may be the same, but the friends change or more come along, and that's what it has come to mean to me.  Sharing.  And ultimately, I think that means more to me than the pie itself.