"Braham Pie Day"

You don't have to be from Braham to know that Braham is the "Homemade Pie Capital of Minnesota," and that Pie Day is a festival that happens in downtown Braham every first Friday of August. If you have attended Pie Day, you know that thousands of people from near and far come to eat pie and enjoy the free entertainment, juried craft show, car show, bike show, medallion hunt, kid's activities, and small quilt show. You don’t even have to pay to park or ride the shuttle from the remote parking areas.
What you don’t know is that the cost of the festival is over $30,000. Although nearly every year, expenses are more than income, the Pie Day Committee manages to pay bills and have some reserve to plan the next festival. Starting in January 2024, the City of Braham added fees to their event permit application. 

This is the breakdown of the fees:                                                                                                    Permit base fee for events 1000+ people, $750                                                                           55 street signs @ $5 each, $275                                                                                                       47 barricades @ $5 each, $235                                                                                                         8 picnic tables @ $20 each,$160                                                                                                       5 police officers for 12 hrs. @ $75/hr., $4500        

Total $5920

Pie Day Committee will have to raise the price of pie, but that will not be enough to cover this cost.  To raise additional money Pie Day Inc., a nonprofit corporation, has registered on GiveMN.org. Donations can be made at any time online. Please help, and please spread the word about Pie Day’s need. If you would be more comfortable sending a check, make it out to Pie Day, Inc. and mail to PO Box 383, Braham MN 55006. Thank you for your support.

Our history- 

Braham was named the “Homemade Pie Capital of Minnesota” by Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1990.  The fame for pie began in the 1930s and 40s when folks would drive to their lake homes, taking the “shortcut to Duluth through Braham.”  After driving from the Twin Cities, they would stop at the Park Café for pie and coffee.

Pie Day began in July of 1990 as a pie and ice cream social, funded by a Celebrate Minnesota tourism grant. In 1992 the date changed to the first Friday in August. The event has grown to include crafter’s, small quilts display, recycled pie tin art contest, antique bicycle and car show. Tusen Tack’s fashion show, performances and demonstrations from folk artists, storytellers, and musicians.  There are also pie baking and pie eating contests, as well as a pie trivia contest. Braham Pie Day and Park Café serve over 1000 homemade and artisan pies that one day!!

The Pie Day committee along with 150 + volunteers work together to make all the fruit pies served in the park, we work very hard the week of pie day to make sure everything is ready to go! the day of pie day the volunteers come out to help work the event, as well as clean up the days after. 

  

               Number of Pies made in 2022 was - 654 or 4578 slices of pie.

                                               Fun Facts – about Braham Pie Day

 500 lbs. of flour - 300 lbs. of sugar - 200 lbs. lard  

 360 lbs. of apples - 260 lbs. of peaches - 30 different varieties of filling

 30 gallons of rhubarb donated & grown locally - Prepared over 1600 crusts. 

We had visitors from: Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Washington DC, Wisconsin, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, California, Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany, Ukraine 

Our “secret ingredient” for a Great Pie Day Pie is Vinegar in our crust and of course all of the volunteers!!                                  

Approximately 150+ volunteers (of ALL ages) helped with baking, serving, and set-up /clean-up of Pies and to make Braham Pie Day a huge success.

Park Café made 301 Pies for Pie Day                                                                                              

We estimated about 6500 people attended Pie Day in 2022 – it was a very hot and sticky day.