Woman achieves rare feat, wins two competitions
Joycelyn Langley of Uniontown achieved a rare feat at the Fayette County Fair: she won first place in both the vegetable quick breads and apple pie competitions. “I was embarrassed. I never thought I would win,’ said Langley.
She was at the fair Friday night when she decided to enter the apple pie contest, which was being held the next day. Langley had entered about 10 years ago and won the competition.
She stopped at two grocery stores on her way home in order to buy the apples she prefers – Pennsylvania apples. Langley rose at 6 a.m. to bake her pie and while it was in the oven, she decided to enter the vegetable quick breads competition.
“It’s a carrot-zucchini bread that my family likes very well. I thought, I have all the ingredients, I’ll bake both,’ she remembered.
Both competitions were held Saturday: vegetable quick breads were judged at 1 p.m. and the apple pie contest was judged at 2 p.m. Both had to be entered by noon.
“I never thought I’d win,’ said Langley. “It was something to do and so I guess I’ll go to the state farm show.’
Langley used the same recipe for this year’s apple pie as she did the last time she won. She found it in an old grange recipe book. She placed fourth in the state competition that year.
“It’s just an old-fashioned, apple pie. Nothing fancy,’ she commented.
The double win on Saturday embarrassed Langley, who didn’t think she would win. This was only the second time she had entered the apple pie contest and the first time for the quick breads.
“I tell you what. I could just feel it starting to glow. I got red from my toes up. I just didn’t believe it,’ she said.
Langley added, “If you come out and think this pie is going to win, it’s sure it won’t. I just thought ‘This is an entry’ and it was a nice surprise.’