Good pie is important. It's unfortunate that very few places understand how important, which must be why most pie is, well, sad. Flabby, machine-made crust and Technicolor interiors are the least of it. The contestants participating in Saturday's Olympia Pie Fest understand the importance of pie. Otherwise, they'd be gardening or working on their Pintrest page. Yes, these folks understand the significance of pie, and will undoubtedly strive to bake fabulous ones: flaky, buttery crust and fresh, seasonal from-scratch fruit fillings.

There are rules and rewards, which are posted at olybakers.com. Pie eaters don't care how it happens, as long as pies are made. The pie eating and general merriment is scheduled from 1-3:30 p.m. at the Olympia Center. Proceeds benefit Thurston County Food Bank and Senior Nutrition program.

THE OLYMPIA CENTER, OLYMPIA PIE FEST 2013, SATURDAY, FEB. 23, 10-11:30 A.M. JUDGING, 1-3:30 P.M. PIE CHOWING, 222 COLUMBIA ST. NW, OLYMPIA, OLYBAKERS@GMAIL.COM, 360.628.4480, OLYBAKERS.COM