We learn "pi r squared" in high school, but at the Salmon Bay Eagles Lodge in Ballard Jan. 23 the pie, and the crowd, were very hip. Mary Schile hosted her 6th Annual Pie Party. This party was her first charity event, to raise money and awareness for the Marsha Rifkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research in Seattle.

Schile was greeting guests, a packed hall comprised mostly of young area couples toting youngsters, and stacking pies on displays in her cherried-out custom wardrobe. She wrapped her shoulders in a loud red feather boa for added effect.

"Today is National Pie Day and I am a member of the American Pie Council," she declared with pied, er, pride. "There are pie parties tonight all over America for pie fanatics and sweet bandits," she said.

Pie-party-goers donated pies, pie-related raffle items including kitchen wear, and money for charity.

Schile said friends have been affected with cancer, and that when she thinks of charity, "I always think of Marsha Rifkin," she said.

Three "pie princesses of the Pie Court," Hayley Tapp, Beverly Chauvet, and Larissa Austin, members of the Lodge, were also donned in cheery-print, and co-hosted and sold raffle tickets. Fred Northub was the official chef master of ceremonies of evening.

"I am wearing a bead-dazzled, after-market chef outfit, doing raffle 'pie-a-phernalia,'" said Northub.

"What's great about this party is that it is not just limited to fruit pies," piped in Scottie Sindora of Ballard, who was attacking a slice of shepherd's pie.

"One year I brought a 'nacho pie' to the party," Julie said. "The crust was a pile of chips," she added, as musicians were on stage warming up to the tune of, what else? "American Pie."

For more about the charity, go to: www.marsharivkin.org.

Steve Shay can be reached at 932-0300 or steves@robinsonnews.com