There was plenty of pie for everyone at the 2025 Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway BARN Pie Contest. In a packed field of 36 pastries, it was Barbara Ottun who produced the pie that won, entering a Pecan Pie with a crust that was loved by the judges.
In second place was a Maple Pear pie by Kyle Stringham that the judges commented “tasted like Christmas”. Taking third was Tracey Kriss’ Grandma’s Special Peach pie (among the favorites of this reporter).
Judges for this year’s pie contest were authors Alan Bartels of Farwell, NE and John Hunt of Broken Bow, along with KBEAR Radio Morning Show Co-host Rachel Fuxa. While pie judging experience varied, Bartels boasted extensive food judging expertise, having sat on panels judging everything from soup to kolaches.
The Custer County Chief’s Donnis Hueftle-Bullock MC’d the event, introducing each pie to the judges before a slice was removed for sampling. Pies were judged based on overall appearance, as well as the taste and texture of both filling and crust.
In just under 30 minutes, pie number 18, an aronia berry with the initials SSB (Sandhills Scenic Byway) laced across the top came out. Only half-way through, the strain on the judges was starting to show, with assessments from “so far, so good” to “barely conscious”.
Not long later, the final slice of pie was served to the judges, a peanut butter cream cheese mouse. Upon completing the task, Fuxa declared, “no more pie until thanksgiving!”
The pie contest is one of the largest fund-raising events of the year for the Big Red Barn on the east side of Broken Bow. As each pie was judged, both anxious pie makers and well-over 50 hungry bystanders were able to sample slices for themselves, and a free-will donation was collected.
Lead Volunteer at the Big Red Barn, Rick Maas was pleased with the success of the event. He noted that there was a lot of variety in the pies this year – and many more than were entered in the contest last year. Maas was also sure to express his appreciation to the volunteers who helped with the event, and every day at the Visitors Center.
“I do have to acknowledge our volunteers,” Maas said. “They made this event today a huge success. We had, I don’t know, six or eight volunteers helping today, maybe more than that. But overall, we have at least 30 constantly, consistently on our list of volunteers. I’m just so appreciative of all that they do, all of our volunteers, the time they contribute. I can depend on them for whatever I need. It’s just a joy to have them, and we just have to acknowledge how valuable they are to this facility and its success.”
Contest winner Ottun will receive a specially-inscribed pie plate created by Amy Simonson Pottery and have her name added, again, to the plaque of Pie Contest Winners that hangs in the Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway Visitors Center.
