Many people stay at Rockland’s inns to relax. They come for the breakfasts, the whirlpool bathtubs, the romantic fireplaces.

But some guests have their eyes on the pies. Especially at the Berry Manor Inn, where a fresh pie in the guest pantry is one of the perks.

“We have guests who put in their pie orders ahead of time,” said Cheryl Michaelsen, who opened the inn with her husband, Michael LaPosta, in 1999. “Some guests do a number of creative things to look like they’re not the ones who are raiding all the pie.”

They’ll run over to the carriage house to steal a piece or two. Some guests have been known to barter their allotment to the highest bidder. One hungry woman stuck a flag with her name on it in the middle of a pie.

Things won’t be so competitive this Sunday during “Pies on Parade,” a tasty tour sponsored by Historic Inns of Rockland. Visitors will get a cookbook, baking tips, a chance to tour six of the area’s cozy and luxurious lodgings, and a hearty helping of sweet and savory pies. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry of Rockland.

“We were looking for obscure holidays that relate to food, and we found out National Pie Day was in January,” Michaelsen said of the tour, which also includes the Captain Lindsey House, Lime Rock Inn, Lakeshore Inn, Old Granite Inn and Waterman House and Gardens. “We use it as an opportunity not only to get rooms filled this time of year, but it’s also an outreach to the community.”

Though pies are a nightly tradition at Berry Manor Inn, the other Rockland innkeepers are no strangers to baking either. Ellen Barnes of the Captain Lindsey House makes pies at the inn and on her windjammer, Stephen Taber. She’ll share recipes for pumpkin pie and Kiwi-berry Tart. Pat Masson of the Lakeshore Inn will offer the unusual, award-winning Apple Pie in a Bag.

The Lime Rock Inn will serve up Blintz Pie and Grits Crisp Pie, while Ragan Cary of Old Granite Inn will share recipes for Walnut Mincemeat Pie and Sunday Supper Meat Pie. Savory seafood is on the menu at Waterman House and Gardens, where mother and daughter innkeepers Judy and Melissa Waterman will prepare Lobster Lovers’ Pie and a traditional oyster pie.

At the Berry Manor, resident pie maker (and Michael LaPosta’s mother) Janet LaPosta will show visitors how to prepare the perfect lattice crust. In the winter months, Janet LaPosta bakes all of the inn’s pies in the kitchen of her carriage-house apartment. During summer, Michaelsen’s mother, Ally Taylor, takes over. The women are polar opposites in their approaches to baking.

“Janet believes in a hearty crust; my mother’s crust is thin,” Michaelsen said, laughing. I wanted them to arm-wrestle once because one puts sugar in, the other says, ‘no.’ One uses tapioca, the other says, ‘no.'”

During a recent visit, Janet LaPosta demonstrated her technique. Once the dry ingredients are mixed in a bowl, she grates frozen butter and cuts it in with a pastry blender. Then she lines her countertop with cellophane, pats the dough in a ball and rolls it with a marble rolling pin.

She works quickly, placing the dough in the bottom of a pie plate, fluting the crust and pouring in sweet blueberry filling. She sprinkles frozen berries on top, so the lattice won’t stick, then she rolls out the second ball of dough and cuts it into lattice strips.

As she weaves the ribbons of dough, pinches them into the crust and sprinkles them with sugar, it looks effortless. In the summer, LaPosta bakes at least three pies a day, and she’s had plenty of time to hone her skills.

“I’ve been making pie since I was 11 or 12 – at least 62 years,” she said. “My grandmother taught me how. I kind of tweaked it along the way.”

During World War II, her grandmother would save bacon drippings to make pie crust, but today, LaPosta relies on a mixture of butter and Crisco to give her pastry a distinct flavor and texture.

By all accounts, the pies are a hit. When visitors sign the inn’s guest books, at least half of them mention the pies. And despite the bartering, late-night raids and occasional hoarding, most of the guests behave themselves – probably so they can get more pie.

“What guests really love is pies because so many people don’t know how to make them anymore and don’t make them,” Michaelsen said.

“I think most people like pie better than any other dessert,” LaPosta said. But she had a confession to make. “I’m partial to ice cream, myself.”

Kristen Andresen can be reached at 990-8287 and kandresen@bangordailynews.net.

Mike’s Mom’s Basic Pie Crust

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

11/2 cup Crisco

4 tablespoons cold butter

Ice water

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the fat and 7-8 tablespoons of water until a ball forms. Divide into 2 crusts and roll on a well-floured board. Add filling and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F and bake another 25-30 minutes, until crust turns golden brown and filling is bubbly.

Berry Manor Inn Blueberry Pie Filling

4 cups wild Maine blueberries (fresh is best, or fresh-frozen)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons tapioca

Place all ingredients together in a medium-size bowl and mix well.

Pie on Parade

Where: Berry Manor Inn, Captain Lindsey House, Lime Rock Inn, Lakeshore Inn, Old Granite Inn, Waterman House and Gardens, all in Rockland.

When: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23

Tickets: $8, available at the inns

Information:

www.historicinnsofrockland.com or 596-7696