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It was a sugar-infused affair at Norsk Hstfest Saturday morning as hundreds of people clamored into Reykjavik Hall to witness the crowning of this year's Scandinavian Pie Contest winner.

Vying for cash prizes and bragging rights, eight people entered their best-baked pie in one of three categories fruit, creme, or custard.

As the clock struck 10 a.m., eight pies five fruit, two custard and one creme pie sat neatly aligned and elegantly displayed on a white tablecloth-lined table, ready to impress the global tastebuds of nine of Hstfest's chefs and bakers.

There was just one problem.

Bruce Williams, of the musical act Williams and Ree, was nowhere to be found. The group had been selected to judge and appoint the grand prize winner, who would take home the pie trophy as well as a $500 gift certificate from I. Keating Furniture World.

In the absence of his counterpart, Terry Ree entertained the crowd with jokes of every race and color, assisted by the event's emcee. After spanning the gauntlet of racy jokes - about Obama with "You lie", oh I thought you were black'- Native Americans and drinking, religious finger-pointing, sexual orientation and jokes of every other creed, Williams called out for the crowd to call Ree's cell phone number - which he gave out.

After several failed attempts, Williams was reached and the result was not good: Ree was on his own.

Ree's response: "I've carried him longer than his momma did."

Stepping in to assist Ree was 17-year-old Nora Mihalick, this year's Miss Norsk Hstfest.

After a 15-minute delay, the Hstfest chefs and bakers took to the stage with pencil and paper, judging the eight pies on appearance, taste and presentation.

Points were totaled and the first-place winners announced: Michael Sorlie of Gwinner, for his carmel apple pie; Sheila Moffatt of Minot, for her peach cream cheese pie; and Rita Sorlie, Michael's mother, from Maddock, for her creamy pear pie.

Two of the winners received $200 gift certificates from Miracle Mart and Marketplace Foods while the other winner was awarded a $100 gift certificate from Gourmet Chef.

The three first-place desserts from each category then competed for the grand prize of a $500 gift certificate from I. Keating Furniture and this year's pie trophy. After a tie-breaker decision, Sheila Moffatt's peach cream cheese pie was declared the grand-prize winner.

"This is so great and so fun," she said. "This is the only pie I bake. I will cook, but I don't like to bake much."

Moffatt's prize-winning pie recipe also won first place at the State Fair's First Lady's Pie Contest.