Jamboree pie auction shatters records
People will often talk about doing more with less, but the older I’ve gotten, the more you start to realize that talk is about all you’re getting when it comes to the actual application of said plan.
Not so of the folks who who run Moulton’s annual Jamboree pie auction, the event that’s helped raise hundreds of thousands in local scholarships since it first began all those years ago.
Because, somehow, they managed to go into that annual auction this year with a lot fewer items to sell—that would be just 111 pies in 2023 versus the 121 that they had last year when buyers set the alltime sales record of more than $32,000—so, a full 10 fewer pies, to be exact.
Yet no matter how many they have had to start, they came up with more—way more, actually—than what they raised last year.
So what’s “way more” by Moulton’s standard? The final count on the dollars raised this year, according to longtime event chairwoman Helen Chaloupka, rang in at an impressive $57,620.
That’s right, folks. They bested the most money ever raised before by more than $20,000.
Of course, it didn’t hurt a bit that this year’s grand champion pie raised some $5,000, all by it’s lonesome. That particular honor went to Tricia Bordovsky of Wrightsboro, who put together a delicious little number with simple strawberries and cream to win over Chaloupka’s panel of esteemed judges, most of whom have been returning year after year for decades now
Still, $5,000 for a pie?
What’s that come to a slice?” I asked her.
Without missing a beat, she replied, “Well that all depends on how big a slice you want.”
Fairly certain I couldn’t afford it, either way, though.
This year’s live auction of the pies themselves was led by Moulton school board vice president Justin Anderle. Very fitting in that every penny raised goes to benefit Moulton High School graduates. Plus, each one is carefully crafted by folks right here in the community, ranging in experience from your first timers in grade school to those who have dedicated entire lifetimes to the craft.
And this year’s event paid homage to both, encouraging many a first timer to take that chance and honoring those who devoted their lifetimes to the craft, passing on what they know to generation after generation in their families, the same way that many of them learned how to make a pie themselves.
Like the Mrs. Allyne Champman and Mrs. Irene Meisetschleager, both of whom passed this year and both of whom have dedications in this year’s book of winning recipes
We’re beyond blessed to have surpassed the auction record from last year,” Chaloupka said. “We can’t begin to thank everyone enough who bid and bought pies, and thank you to everyone who baked pies! It’s because of these two groups that we have over $50k to give our to our Moulton graduates and college students.”
In fact they started right then and there, giving scholarships to current college students from Moulton. Just six students from last year’s graduating class applied for scholarships last year, so, they doubled down on those already college or trade school, giving 17 $1,200 scholarship awards that very day.
“Thank you also to our volunteers—judges, servers, pie acceptors, hall crew, auctioneers, and pie transporters,” Chaloupka said. “We can’t do this without y’all!”
