An unseasonably cool summer day welcomed visitors to the Linden United Methodist Church’s annual ice cream social Saturday, July 28.
This event has been held for many years and is hosted in the newly remodeled basement at the Linden Church. The population of Linden must have at least doubled over the years of this event because there were cars parked all around the church and in nearby streets.
Last year I did not attend this event. My plan was to go to this event and the Minburn event one after another, but I went to a gun show in Waverly and only got back in time to attend the Minburn event.
This year Dan Haymond and I headed out just before 5 p.m. It takes more than half an hour to get to Linden from Perry. We arrived about 5:30 p.m. By that time, cars were parked everywhere, with people streaming into the church basement.
We waited and got through the line. Outside the entrance, the large buckets and churns used to make the ice cream were sitting after having been cleaned out. I have never seen ice cream makers that large before.
The menu included beef burgers, homemade ice cream, pies, cakes and a variety of beverages. As usual, there were people who I knew, and I visited with quite a few of them.
One unusual practice at this event is that the beef burgers are served on wax paper and not plates. This does work well, and I believe would save a lot of cost and waste compared with using disposable plates.
As stated before, there was a large crowd in attendance. Nearly every seat in the basement was taken. One of the servers told me later that they ran out of buns.
The Linden event is an annual opportunity for people to get together and enjoy fellowship. Monies raised are used for the church maintenance and various mission projects supported by the United Methodist Church.
There are some other events and ice cream socials coming up. This coming Saturday, the Minburn Fire Department will host an evening meal followed by a concert.
On Saturday, Aug. 18, the Minuburn United Methodist Church will host its annual ice cream social in the evening. I have heard that the Panther Creek Church of the Brethren will be host their annual ice cream social Sunday, Aug. 19. Usually, both entities host their events in July.
The only issue is a conflict with the Iowa State Fair. Luckily, Country Gold will be coming Wednesday, Aug. 15, so I should be able to make it to all of the summer events.
