The "TAKE THAT! ...... Maine" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just pulled up the Maine Legislature page on my computer and read this ....Budget problems aren't the only issues under debate in state legislatures this season.  In Maine, lawmakers are poised to make the "whoopie pie" the official state dessert - even though come claim the chocolate cake sandwich filled with white fluffy filling was actually invented in Pennsylvania.

And, my comment to all of this is ... "You're wasting your time Maine, since the Whoopie Pie is king in Penn- sylvania as proven by the "Whoopie Pie Festival" just held in Strasburg, PA on the grounds of the Hershey Farm Restaurant & Inn which is located on Rt. 896 in the heart of Amish Country.  

Tent filled with Whoopie Pies.

The first whoopie pie was actually invented or baked just a few miles from the location of the festival which Carol and I attended today with our whoopie friends Pat and Dale.  As we pulled into the parking lot of Hershey Farm we were greeted by a parking attendant who was, of all things, Amish.  Weather was fantastic for the 10th annual festival which was expected to draw more than the 8,000 visitors that attended last year.  

Customer making his selections.

And, I'll bet quite a few of those 8,000 were from Maine hoping to learn how to make a really good whoopie pie.  I'll bet Mainiacs, or whatever you call people from Maine, didn't know that the whoopie pie can also be called a "gob", "black moon" and even a "big fat Oreo."  After parking the car we worked our way towards the big yellow tent where all the action seemed to be.  As we entered we were given a plastic bag for our purchases.  Then .... Wow!  

Carol putting one of my selections in the bag.

Thousands, and I mean thousands and thousands, of whoopie pies lined the walls and the center island in the tent which had to be at least 100 feet long.  Whoopie pies of over 100 flavor combinations were available.  Signs alone the racks of pies read:  coconut with coconut filling, traditional chocolate with creme icing, vanilla with fluffy frosting, red-velvet cake with creme cheese filling, chocolate-dipped whoopie pie, PB & J pie, pumpkin pie with salted-caramel filling, traditional pie with chocolate chunks, coconut pie with pineapple filling, vanilla pie with root-beer creme, and the list goes on and on. Personally, it was a bit overwhelming.  Just give me a good old whoopie pie and I'd be happy.  

Packages of smaller sized whoopie pies.

Too many choices for me, but people were almost fighting each other for certain varieties.  We got to the festival about 10 minutes after the advertised opening and several of the choices were already gone.  Boxes of smaller whoopie pies were also available, but with not quite as many flavor choices.  

Whoopie pie coffee was also for sale. 

I wondered where all these came from and one of the attendants told us they have been baking them for days and days.  Paid for our selections in our bag and headed to the craft tents closely.  Most items here were the same as at any craft show except for the tent selling "whoopie coffee."  Had to get one of them for our son's Christmas stocking.  

Whoopie pie checkers! 

Then off to watch the whoopie checkers tournament.  Players were using a checkers board with small whoopie pies as the checkers, creating a tri-level whoopee for a "King."  Passed a booth were the world's largest whoopie pie was on display.  The six foot by six foot by over one foot thick pie was sitting on a table with real thick legs.  Thing weighed over 750 pounds, so it did. There was also a booth where you could make your own creation, but by now everyone was getting a bit overwhelmed with the sweet smell of the whoopie pie.  Our final stop was the whoopie pie launch where large slingshots were used to attempt to propel a duct-tape wrapped whoopie pie through a hole in a target about 40 feet away.

Sign says it all!

Just watched in amazement!  We opted to 

bypass the treasure hunt, the whoopie pie eating contest and the "Whoopie Yell Off" whatever that might have been.  Well, it was a busy and interesting day and all I can say in my best Mainese is, "Maine, you ain't got a chance of topping this!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.