Lucky’s hosts pie-eating contest, pumpkin decorating

When Cassidy Littrell, 4, won a pie-eating contest Sunday at Lucky’s Market, she said she would spend her winnings on candy.

Littrell beat five other children in the contest and won a $10 gift card to the store, located at 1459 NW 23rd Ave. Using her fingers, she nearly finished the half of a pumpkin pie in front of her and said she still wasn’t full. The pie-eating contest was part of a fall-themed event hosted by the store from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hank Barr, the store director at Lucky’s, said it was the first time the store had put on an event like this.

“We wanted to do something good for the community, for the kids to come out,” Barr said.

Five adults also raced to finish a full pumpkin pie in an adult contest before the children’s competition. After six minutes and 29 seconds, Steven Edvalson, 27, took the last bite from his pie tin and won a $20 gift card to the store. Edvalson said he had never competed in a food-eating contest before.

“Eat the crust first, because that takes the chewing, and that’s when you have all the moisture in your mouth,” Edvalson said. “Once you get that all down, everything else just goes down easier.”

After allowing the dessert to settle in his stomach, Edvalson said he didn’t think he was going to be sick.

“I’m feeling OK,” Edvalson said. “I don’t want anything else right now, but I think I’m good.”

The store’s cafe gave out about 150 pumpkins. Patrons decorated their pumpkins with paint, googly eyes, pipe cleaners and glitter.

Amelia Towers, 4, covered her pumpkin in purple, red, pink and black paint.

“Put some of the thingies on it,” Towers said. “The ghost stickers.”

Steven Edvalson raises his hands in victory after finishing his pumpkin pie on Sunday at Lucky’s Market. Edvalson ate his pie in fewer than seven minutes during a pie-eating contest at the grocery store.