Also the four-year anniversary of everything shutting down in Minneapolis. I was working that day, and was assigned to write about the opening of an actual pie shop that was very popular -- and since then has, sadly, closed.
Here's how the story started:
A line of people stretched down the sidewalk outside Pie & Mighty, a south Minneapolis pie shop, on Saturday, its opening day. It happened to be Pi Day, the annual celebration of the mathematical constant, pi (whose first three digits, 3, 1 and 4, form the date March 14), which many people observe by eating the titular baked dessert.
The timing of the opening was sheer coincidence, said co-owner Rachel Swan. The shop's license to operate had just been issued the day before.
"It's perfect timing," Swan said.
Well, kind of ? if you don't count the state of emergency Gov. Tim Walz declared Friday in response to COVID-19. In an effort to slow the virus' spread, officials advised canceling any gathering of 250 or more people. Museums, theaters, courtrooms, sporting events and other organizations around the metro area closed. Some large churches told parishioners to stay home on Sunday and watch services via livestream.
Out of curiosity I googled the people mentioned in the story who were waiting in line to buy pie. All still seem to be alive. Some people in the line might have died of COVID, though (not necessarily from being in the pie line).
