The following contests are for the 2025, 50th Anniversary Festival.
Apple Pie Contest - SATURDAY
Check-in Location: Contest Tent (next to info tent across from Settlers)
Check-in Time: 9am -11am Saturday 9/20
Showcase your pie-baking skills and creativity in a fun and delicious way! Contrast participants will bring their best homemade pie and present it to a panel of judges for evaluation. The criteria for judging include overall appearance, crust, filling, and flavor/taste.
To enter the pie-baking contest, bring your homemade pie to the contest tent between 9 am -11 am on Saturday, September 20, 2025. Pies submitted after 11 am will not be able to compete. Judging begins at 11:15 am and will be complete after all pies are judged. Winners will be announced at 1 pm. Contest is open to AMATEUR bakers only. Professional bakers cannot compete.
(A professional baker is defined as someone who works for a bakery, works for or owns a catering company, or someone who sells pies.)
Contest Rules and Regulations
No fee to enter your pie in the contest.
Pies must not require refrigeration before serving and may not contain raw/uncooked eggs (whites or yokes.)
Crust and filling must be made from scratch. No store-bought crust, dough, or canned fillings may be used.
Pie must be prepared by the individual submitting the pie for judging and baked in a 9-inch covered, disposable pie tin or plate.
A recipe must accompany your pie. Recipes must include ingredient list, instructions, and contestant’s name.
Please do not write your name on the pie tin. Your pie will be assigned a number at registration, which allows anonymity during the judging.
One pie per contestant.
The contest will be held rain or shine.
JUDGING
Judges will not know the identity of the pie baker.
Judging begins at 11:15a a.m. with prizes announced at 1pm.
Judges will independently assign each pie a score without consultation.
In case of a tie, Johnny Appleseed‘s score will be the tiebreaker
Judges will use the score pies based on $ criteria:
Overall appearance 10 points
Crust 20 points
Filing 20 points
Flavor/Taste 50 points
All judging decisions are final.
Beard Contest - SUNDAY
Location: Contest Stage Near Information Both
Check-in Time: BY 12 Noon
Time to get your “groom” on and show us your beards. Historical stories tell that men from the 19th century made it clear that men should have a beard. Beards were the sign of authority, power and masculinity. So guys – show us your best beards.
Beard contest categories
Best Overall Beard
Judged on length, fullness, and neatness
Town Bum Beard (affectionately known as the Joe Dirt Beard)
Judged on the attempt at growing a beard
Sparse and unkept. Genuine attempt at growing a beard
Judges for the contest
Bryan, Aidan from Post Modern Barbershop
How to win
Judges will choose the top five from each category to come out on stage to show off their beards individually. After all five have their moment, the contestants will form a column, and one of the judges will raise a white handkerchief over each of their heads, allowing the crowd to vote with applause and cheers. The judges will vote on who has the most support and crown them the winner.
In the event of a tie, the last process will repeat for the two tied beards.
Prizes
Free haircut and beard trim at Post Modern Barbershop, which will be scheduled upon the final vote.
Come and experience a typical entertainment from Johnny’s era. There will be a spelling bee and ciphering contest on the contest stage demonstrated by area 4th graders. The spelling bee will be at 2:00 on Saturday and the ciphering contest will be at 2:00 on Sunday. Spelling words will be taken from a McGuffy Speller of Johnny’s era.
CIPHERING CONTEST - SUNDAY
The Ciphering Contest will be open to all public, private, parochial, and home-schooled 4th graders in Allen County. Each school has been invited to submit the name of one ciphering contestant. Home schooled 4th grade students who wish to participate should report to the contest stage in the campgrounds at 1:30 pm Sunday.
The arithmetic problems will be up to 3-digit addition and subtraction problems and up to 2-digit multiplication and division problems. Students will solve the problem using a slate and chalk. Once the problem is solved the student will present the slate to the judges. If the problem is solved incorrectly, the student will be eliminated. When the final 2 students are reached, they will both be given the same problems. The first student to give an incorrect answer will be eliminated. All rulings by the judges are final.
All participants will receive a certificate, and prizes will be awarded to first and second place.
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SPELLING BEE CONTEST - SATURDAY
The Spelling Bee is open to all public, private, parochial and home schooled 4th grade students in Allen County. Each school has been invited to submit the name of one speller. Home schooled 4th grade students who wish to participate should report to the contest stage in the campgrounds at 1:30 on Saturday.
The words will be taken from the McGuffey’s Eclectic Spelling Book, 1879 revised addition. The word will be pronounced for the speller and repeated by the speller. Speller will have 30 seconds to start spelling. Once a letter has been said it cannot be changed. If the speller misspells the word they are eliminated. A new word will be given to the next speller. When 2 spellers remain, if the first speller misspells the word, the second speller must spell that word correctly and also spell the next word correctly to win. All rulings by the judges are final.