Instructions: Sunny and warm, with its historic landmarks, flowering fences and splendid beaches, nobody needs an excuse to visit Marthas Vineyard, Mass. But the islands annual agricultural fair is a good one. Island residents come for the exhibits and the rides. We came for the pies. and so with the clatter of a cowbell, the Marthas Vineyard Agricultural Fair began, and the crowds came to watch draft horse pulls, eat fried dough, ride spinning machines and win blue ribbons. An island tradition for over 130 years, this is no ordinary state fair. Carly Simon and James Taylor helped support the raising of the post-and-beam barn that volunteers had found in New Hampshire and had moved in pieces by ferry to this spot in West Tisbury. And island residents - from school children to Caroline Kennedy - put their best efforts forward in hopes of taking home a blue ribbon. Walter Cronkite stood beside us watching his grandchildren enjoy the carnival rides, chatting amiably about the weather and the fair. But as we said, we were there for the pie judging contest, and so at exactly 10:00 a.m. the enormous green doors to the agricultural hall slid open, and Joe Sollito began the judging.

This is Joes 23rd year judging pies at the fair, and he comes by his qualifications honestly ... in real life hes the islands Superior Court magistrate. Joe says he tries to give everyone a fair shot by taking a bite of each and every pie. "I start out with good size bites, but as the hours go on, my bites get progressively smaller. But I do try everything because everyone deserves to have what they brought in tasted."

What does Joe look for in a good pie? "Eye appeal, crust, fillings,... basically does it look good and does it taste good? The best pie I ever tasted was a chocolate cream pie - really excellent pie." And the worst? "One year a husband-and-wife team baked several pies. But it seems they had stored their flour next to mothballs. It wasnt until we tasted it that we found out, and Ill tell you that pie was awful."

Joe and his team of judges spent almost 4 hours sampling everything from the traditional apple pie to the more "unusual" avocado pie, keeping score with gourmet terms like "yuck" and "yummy." In the end they emerged with smiles on their faces, their belt buckles loosened, and a winner!

Squeals were heard from the back of the crowd as the name was announced, and a young lady by the name of Ginger emerged with two little boys in tow. Her prize winning pie? "I made a blueberry pie with lime juice added for some extra flavor. And I made a crust of tightly woven strips of dough."

The best part of this story is that this was the first time she had ever entered the contest. She had come to the island as an au pair for the two young boys who stood tightly holding her hands. And it was the boys who had encouraged her to submit her pie. We asked if she had any pie-making secrets shed be willing to share with us. "Well," she said, "I think the hardest part is keeping the crust flaky and light. If you handle it too much, it gets tough. And you want to put in lots of filling,... if its too thin it doesnt taste as good. Other than that, youve got to put a lot of love into making it, know what I mean?"

We did know what she meant. That feeling was all around us at the Marthas Vineyard Fair, from the volunteers who put hundreds of hours into planning the annual event, to the kids who entered their puppies in the pet show, to the two boys who told their baby-sitter she was a good enough cook to take a blue ribbon.

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