Wenatchee's 1997 Giant Apple Pie Weighs 40,000 Pounds

Hard to believe that the famous largest apple pie record, that put Wenatchee on the map across the country and around the world is almost 30 years ago. In August of 1997, 700 volunteers worked to make a 40,000-pound apple pie—the world's largest, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

How many ingredients were needed?

Volunteers sliced 32,000 pounds of apples to fill a 44-foot-by-24-foot pie tin—designed by Kyle Rumble of Pacific Engineering and Design.

The record-setting apple pie needed 3,175 pounds of flour, 3,500 pounds of sugar, and 100 pounds of cinnamon.

Pouring sugar & cinnamon into the World's Largest Apple Pie CREDIT Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center

How long did it take to plan?

Pauline Sweeney and her crew from the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center (then called the North Central Washington Museum) planned and coordinated the project for half a year.

‘(We) worked 24/7 on the design to bake this (huge) pie for about 6 months. Received wonderful support from my boss, Keith Williams, former Museum Director, and everyone in our local communities from Leavenworth to Spokane. Plus received support from strangers and business from around the world in helping bake the pie.’ -Pauline Sweeney commented on Facebook

Kyle Rumble working on the 16-ton Apple pie dish in 1997 CREDIT: Pacific Engineering & Design

The crew camped out in Wenatchee’s Walla Walla Point Park along the Columbia River. There, they watched as the propane-powered, steel-girded convection oven being custom-made for an iconic event was constructed.

Are there any specific standards that need to be met to make it official?

“The pie has to be edible to make it into the Guinness Book,”-Pauline Sweeney ( via the Washington Agrinews Service)

It was edible. But did it taste good?

“It wasn’t very tasty” -Chuck Largent via a Facebook comment

“No, it was not!” agreed Cheryl Andre

Does Wenatchee STILL hold the title of the world's largest apple pie?

Yes, Wenatchee still holds the title for the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest apple pie ever baked. The 1997 event bested a group from Hewitts Farm in Chelsfield, England. That apple pie weighed 30,000 pounds and was 40 feet wide.