In cold and snowy Alaska, there's a village called Takotna. It has a population of a mere 49 souls. Each March, this tiny village swells up in numbers, because it is located in the middle of a race that takes place every year. It is a seven-day race, called the Iditarod Trail, and participants stop at Takotna for their obligatory 24-hour rest. Lucky for them, Takotna is famous for its delicious fruit pies.
Weeks before the competitors arrive, the residents of Takotna start preparing for what is without question their biggest event of the year. The whole village chips in to help, including the kids, who end up developing their baking skills at an early age. The exhausted and hungry racers are greeted with delightful pies of all kinds, such as apple, orange, lemon or banana. They consume the pies as stomach warming race fuel. The toughness of the race allows for racers to eat pretty much whatever they want. The more calories, the better.
Takotna has gained a reputation for its dessert-based hospitality since the 1970s. It started with one person, Jan Newton. Jan moved from Idaho with her husband in 1972 and opened a restaurant. Her rich and filling-fruit pies quickly got the racers' attention, and the village gained some fame as a result. Proud residents then started to refer to Jan as Queen of Takotna.