Mount Vernon and Lisbon and surrounding residents – put Sunday, Oct. 12 on your calendars.

That’s when the Bijou will be playing a delightful documentary, “Pieowa: A Piece of America.”

It’s a documentary I’m coming back for a second serving myself, because I had the chance to catch it at one of its recent sold out screenings at FilmScene Saturday, Aug. 23.

And while you sit there and go “why would you want to watch a documentary about a baked dessert?” I’d say because you can never go wrong with pie. We all have a connection, a history, a memory associated with said dessert.

But the documentary does more than just explore the varieties and history of the dish in the state of Iowa and Midwest, it explores the central thesis of community building via desserts, something many of us in small towns are all too familiar with. Some of my favorite segments in the film are ones that highlight the efforts to build community in the state, like an effort to bake pies for those shut in on Thanksgiving that started one year with one pie and has now grown into a much larger effort. Or students getting career experience running their own pie shop in Cedar Falls/Waterloo.

Also, in the documentary you have exploration of the Iowa State Fair pie contest and the other big pie event in the state, RAGBRAI. And in that RAGBRAI segment, one of the cameos/talking heads is someone people might know who resides in Mount Vernon.

I did have a few notes on organization of the documentary at times, but for my minor quibbles, I still left with a smile on my face, a passion for community building and a hankering for some pie. Luckily, Gary’s always has one of those bakers from Cedar Rapids pies on stock, so I was able to quench that.

Come enjoy this movie as a community.