A messy experience
August 13, 2008
By Ed Farrell
Festival at Mount Si highlighted by pie-eating contest
A pair of participants in the youth division dig in during the pie-eating contest at the Festival at Mount Si Saturday. Nolan Funk, 10, of North Bend won the contest. Photo by Ed Farrell
Despite a dreary and drizzly start, thousands of people descended on North Bend for three days of fun, food, parades and music as part of The Festival at Mount Si.
Not all of the Festival was serious in tone, although the competition in both the youth and adult pie eating contests Saturday was intense.
Contestants claiming names such as “The Belly” tested their stomach size against other challengers as they confronted an estimated 3 pounds of cherry pie each.
Nolan “Big Stomach” Funk, 10, of North Bend captured the youth title, while Erik Walker of Seattle took home the hardware - a trophy with a pig on top - for the adult class.
Festival fare was plentiful, as heaping piles of curly cue fried potatoes, corn dogs and funnel cakes were sold as quickly as vendors could pull them out of the hot fat; gallons of soft drinks consumed to aid in the swallowing process.
Plenty of participants were of the four-legged variety, as fair-goers took advantage of the pet-friendly attitude, and tail sniffing was as frequent a sight as handshakes between old friends.
Parade onlookers, some of whom arrived hours early to claim the perfect viewing spot, watched as youth groups, equestrians, businesses, political candidates, and in some cases, what appeared to be just ordinary folks who enjoy walking a parade route, participated in the annual Saturday highlight.
The Grand Parade was sponsored by Frankie’s Pizza.
The Panther Pride Unicycle Team captured the parade’s Grand Prize trophy. Veils of the Nile, Drummers and Friends took home the Sponsor’s Choice trophy.
Other parade winners include:
Animals: 1st place - Midnight Riders 4-H Drill Team; 2nd Place - Cascade K-9; 3rd Place - Raging River Riders;
Antique/Classic Vehicles: 1st place - Mater (Mt. Si. Goldens); 2nd Place - Truck Load o’Trouble (Renaissance Pet Boutique and Spa); 3rd Place - 1953 Ford Police Car (FCI Custom Storage and Custom Police Vehicles);
Commercial: 1st Place - Home Inspections Place; 2nd Place - The Summit at Snoqualmie; 3rd Place - Finaghty’s U-10 baseball team;
Custom Vehicle: 1st Place - SRP & Race Rescue Junior Dragster (Security Race Products and Race Rescue); 2nd Place - Pete’s Dragon (Car Toys); 3rd Place - The Reef Cycle (The Reef Restaurant/Rob Reynolds);
Drill/Band/Marching Unit: 1st Place - North Queens Drill Team; 2nd Place - Puget Sound Gymnastics and Dance;
Floats: 1st Place - Falon Gong Meditation Exercise Unit; 2nd Place - Down to Earth Flowers and Gifts;
Kids: 1st Place - Proud to Be and American (Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts 700 and 701, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints); 2nd Place - Cub Scout Pack 452.
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