Not Just a Fly-By: Shoofly Pie Honored as ‘Pigs 2024 Salute to Lehigh Valley

Allentown, Pennsylvania (May 28, 2024) – In the latest installment of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs ‘Salute to Lehigh Valley’ promotional series, presented by Matheson Gas, the ‘Pigs will be playing as the Shoofly Pie on Saturday, July 13^th, for the 2024 installment of the promotion.

Shoofly Pie, a crumb pie made with a filling of consisting of primarily brown sugar and molasses, has been a staple of the local Pennsylvania Dutch community for over a century. The pie was originally eaten as a breakfast cake but has now also evolved to be eaten as a dessert as well. It is a local delicacy that has become loved throughout the Lehigh Valley as a must-have for either breakfast or dessert.

The IronPigs jersey and logo treatment of Shoofly Pie anthropomorphizes the fly in the name, making the insect the primary logo on the hat. The fly holds a piece of a pie while hovering and is reminiscent of the same color of the pie itself. The actual jersey is a light blue (similar to the accent color found in the IronPigs Hex apparel) with piping of light and dark brown, representing the colors of Shoofly Pie. Adoring the Shoofly Pie wordmark is the pie itself (with the missing piece being the one the fly on the cap is holding) with two smaller flies encircling the pie. Following the game on July 13, the Shoofly Pie Jerseys will be auctioned off while the hats will be entered into a raffle. Auction and raffle proceeds with benefit both IronPigs Charities and RBI Lehigh Valley.

“Of all the unique identities we’ve donned over the years, I’m most excited about this new brand,” said IronPigs President and General Manager Kurt Landes. “The logo screams fun to me and it represents the strong and quirky Pennsylvania Dutch influence in our region. Kids and adults will be drawn to our Shoofly merchandise like flies to sweet molasses!”

Shoofly Pie themed merchandise is now available for purchase at the IronPigs Clubhouse Store. Visit the store at Coca-Cola Park or shop online at shopironpigs.com to see the selection of Shoofly Pie merchandise. Tickets for the July 13^th game are available now and you can secure your seats online by going to www.ironpigsbaseball.com or by phone at (610) 841-PIGS (7447). Ticket packages which include a piece of the unique Shoofly Pie itself are also on sale for and can be purchased HERE.

While there is no complete confirmation of where the name Shoofly Pie came from, it is most likely derived from a brand of molasses, Shoo-Fly Molasses, that was used to make the pie originally. Other possible originations of the name include that - thanks to the pie’s sweet filling - flies were constantly swirling around the delicacy and must be shooed away, thus Shoofly Pie.

Even the name of the Shoo-Fly Molasses, which the pie may be named for, comes from an interesting tale. That molasses brand was named for a circus animal, "Shoo-fly the Boxing Mule", who was a mule that was trained to stand upright while wearing boxing gloves on his front hooves to the delight of spectators.

With a large Pennsylvania Dutch community still residing in the Lehigh Valley, Shoofly Pie can be found at many bakeries and kitchens and the Pennsylvania Dutch influence even extends to the IronPigs who wear Pennsylvania Dutch Hex inspired jerseys as their primary Saturday home apparel.

In past seasons, the IronPigs have recognized various icons of the Lehigh Valley for their annual “Salute to Lehigh Valley” promotions including the IronHorses in 2023 and Scrapple in 2022.

When the IronPigs play as the Shoofly Pie on July 13^th, the first 3,000 adults 18 & older will receive a Salute to Lehigh Valley Adult Cap presented by Coca-Cola. Fans can stick around after the game for post-game fireworks as well.

Follow the IronPigs on Twitter at @IronPigs and like them on Facebook via www.facebook.com/LHVIronPigs.

The IronPigs are presented by Capital Blue Cross.

--#YourHometownTeam--