Mothers and dentists always encourage the slow and thorough chewing of food, but these rules were turned upside down, Saturday, during the Sesquicentennial pie eating contest.

Gathering at Rebekah Park before lunchtime, 12 local residents opted to spoil their appetites by feasting upon 12 strawberry and whipped cream pies, provided by the program’s sponsor, Stories’ Restaurant.

Three participants went head to head at a time, creating four individual contests. Many of them donned protective shirts before they inhaled the pies, which weighed in at about two pounds each.

At the urging of their fans and families, some of the more competitive contestants dove in with both hands, forgoing the utensils and childhood etiquette lessons entirely.

Patrick Sanders walked away from the Sesquicentennial Pie Eating Contest with a grand prize of $25 in a gift certificate from Stories’ Restaurant. He consumed his strawberry pie in three minutes and 20 seconds. Andy Conk finished in second and was awarded $15 in a Stories’ gift certificate. Rounding out the top three was Darian Shaver, who ingested the strawberry pie for a $10 gift card.