This year the sun in the heavens above shone down on Gloucester Point Baptist Church for its annual Community Fall Festival held on the grounds, in the recreation hall and the kitchen. For 16 years Melissa Ashe has chaired this event which was preceded by a fair on a much smaller scale in the 1980s. 

This year brought a perfect day for outside games, hayrides, pony rides, kid’s crafts, car display, music, moonwalk, ident-a-kid, an old-fashioned cake walk, and much more. Hot dogs and delicious clam chowder were available to warm the soul. 

Meanwhile inside, the men’s cakes, ladies’ pies and children’s desserts were on display and being judged on appearance and taste.

Three gentlemen judged the 10 pies that church members had baked. After circling the table many times with lots of discussion, they gave Martha Robbins’ Apple Pie entry first in appearance. Catherine Smith’s Banana Caramel Pie was second and Tammy Greggs’s Mint Chocolate Pie third. For taste, Martha’s Apple Pie also won first. Lynn Walton’s French Apple Pie was awarded second and Barbara Mangrum’s Pecan Pie was third. 

Three ladies judging the nine cakes awarded Gary Mangrum’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake first in appearance, with Greg West’s Hershey Cake receiving second and Doug Blaylock’s Chocolate Trifection third. For taste, Kendall Sentz’s Cross Cake placed first, with Doug Blaylock’s cake picking up second place and Gary Mangrum’s cake placing third. 

Two gentlemen and one lady judging the children’s desserts awarded the church’s youth group’s Dracula Dentures first in both appearance and taste, Samuel West’s Pumpkin Cake Pops second in both appearance and taste, and Reese Black’s Bananas with Topping third in both positions.

Once the judging was completed and awards presented, out came the knives, forks and pie servers. Each entry in all three categories was made available for tasting.

The Fall Festival is part of the Gloucester Point Baptist Church’s outreach ministry, a special event is for the “community as well as for our own family.”

From its beginning as a Mission Church in 1957 with services held in the building formerly known as Pine Grove Inn, to the cornerstone laying of the present church in 1974, to big additions made in 1995, Gloucester Point Baptist Church has been a vital part of the community and the surrounding areas.