Craig Price helps make pie dough in preparation for the 200 pies that the Methodist pie ladies will make for the fair.
Preparation is already in the works for the United Lonsdale Methodist Church as they get ready to open their food booth for another season at this year’s Richland County Fair & Rodeo. Volunteers have started making and freezing pie dough so that its pre-made for the 200 pies that will be made and sold at the fair.
“The pie ladies are phenomenal,” commented church member Cara Nelson. “There is a group of ladies that start meeting at the church the Tuesday before the fair, and make fresh homemade pie daily.”
But it isn’t just the five different kinds of pie that keep people coming back. Church volunteers make their potato salad in totes because it’s so popular! Other high-demand menu items include the German Burger, which is made with seasoned ground beef and served with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut, and the Cajun Burger, which is a seasoned burger served with Swiss cheese, onions, and red and green peppers. The most tried and true recipes of past and present church members have made it into the ‘church book’, which is the go-to for all of their wonderful recipes.
The church bought their original booth in the 1920s when serving homemade food became popular during the fair. In 1992, a new booth was constructed, but the goal remains the same: fellowship, fundraising, and having fun.
“It encourages volunteerism and it’s a great way to get kids involved in helping out. They can wait tables, get drinks, and wash dishes. We tell everyone to have fun while they’re working because it is what you make of it,” said Nelson, who has been giving her time to the food booth since the mid-eighties.
It takes between 30 and 40 volunteers to keep the food booth running smoothly, whether they are making pies, cooking burgers, or wiping down tables and all of the money raised is used to help pay for church operations. The church invites past, present, old and new to join in by working a shift at the fair!
If you’re looking to curb your homemade craving at this year’s fair, be sure to stop in. The Lonsdale United Methodist Booth will be serving from 11:00am – 11:00pm Wednesday, August 3rd through Saturday, August 6th.
(Photo submitted by Anita Price)
Reader Comments(0)