Bea remembers the first apple pie she entered at the Franklin County Fair. Listen (Real 0:56) How Bea carefully selects items to enter in the fair competitions. Listen (Real 0:49) How Bea's mother made quilts at home many years ago. Listen (Real 1:03)

Bea Reynolds was the subject of this May 29, 2000 profile jointly produced for radio by Traditional Arts in Upstate New York and North Country Public Radio. Listen (Real 4:32)

Bea Reynolds of Burke has always been well known to her family, church, and community as a special home maker. For years, while raising her family, she also contributed to church suppers and bake sales at her local Methodist Church. Helping feed a big family, she learned early from her mother. While her husband Eric showed cows and raced harness horses at the Franklin County Fair in Malone, Bea began in 1985 to enter breads, doughnuts, rolls, cookies, cakes, canned vegetables, fruit, and pickles, and one each in all nine categories of pies. She came away the Grand Champion Cook, having received the most blue ribbons. Each year since, she has entered as many as 100 classes and received upwards of 40 blue ribbons. While she also enters flowers and needlework, Bea's cooking--especially her lemon meringue pies, carrot cakes, and raised doughnuts--are her specialties.

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