If you keep your eyes open, there are still opportunities out there during the beloved dinner season. Such was the case last weekend with a bunch of dinners that Dan and I ate. We went to five dinners over a three-day weekend.
I have already been scolded for attending two dinners during the same time period, as mentioned in a previous story.
Last Friday started with the Adel Faith Lutheran Church harvest dinner. Have you noticed that nearly every dinner has the word “harvest” in its title?
The Faith Lutheran Church dinner is a Thanksgiving-themed dinner. I have attended it for many years with either Duane or Dan or in some cases both. They always have a very large attendance for this dinner and serve turkey, ham, potatoes — I think they are new potatoes — green beans, sweet potatoes, a cranberry salad, roll and choice of dessert.
This is always a very eloquent dinner and crowd. Luckily, we left for this dinner early and did not have to wait in line. I wanted to get back for the Perry High School play, “Dracula.” It used to be that all school plays were scheduled the weekend of Veterans Day and started at 7:30 p.m. Now they start at 7 p.m. and come a week sooner. Everything in life changes, but the beloved dinner season abideth.
Not long after we got there, a line formed. I got back to Perry in time for the play. It was a different play for high school actors, but they did a good job.
The next morning, we left for the Bouton Breakfast at 8 a.m. Nick had to work, so he could not go with us. We wanted to eat earlier so we had room for the noon dinner in Boone.
Bouton always has a good breakfast. They have fried eggs, but you can also get them scrambled. When the ladies see me coming, they make me a scrambled egg, which is much appreciated. They also have pancakes, sausage, ham, fried potatoes, biscuits with sausage gravy, toast, milk, coffee, an orange drink and water.
I tried to take it easy with eating because of noon coming around soon.
We left for the Boone Trinity Lutheran Church at 11 a.m. and got there around 11:45 a.m. I took pictures. They held a bazaar in conjunction with the dinner.
They served beef and noodles, green beans, raw carrots, raw celery, dinner rolls, pie and milk, water and coffee. I skipped the dinner roll and took my pie home.
They also had many seasonal craft items for sale as well as old hymnals. I bought an old Lutheran Hymnal that is many decades old and a loaf of banana bread for Jeff Webster.
They were selling mincemeat at the bazaar, which is not something that you see very often nowadays. I should try some someday. Ellie Wojan told me once that the Perry First United Methodist Church used to make mincemeat to sell as a fundraiser every year during this season. This may have been during the days when it was just called a Methodist Church.
The Boone Trinity Lutheran Church is housed in a beautiful, very large building erected in 1916, just before the U.S. entered World War I. The church started in Boone in 1866, just after the end of the U.S. Civil War.
There have been more modern additions.
It was a very good dinner.
That same evening came the Woodward Christian Church hamball dinner. I had to tape the William Bell Memorial Tuba Day at the Perry First United Methodist Church and at Bell’s graveside before we left. We ended up leaving around 5:40 p.m. I picked Dan up as I was heading to the cemetery.
I have attended several dinners at the Woodward Christian Church. It is an old, small church, and the dinner is served in the basement. There is a lot of charm with this church building. I love the old trays that they use for you to put your plates on.
They must be 90 years old and very durable. You cannot call them TV trays because they are definitely older than television and probably older than radio.
They served ham balls, cheesy potatoes, green beans, dinner roll, a variety of pies and a beverage.
By this time, I was filled up.
Sunday came, and I went to church. After the service, there was a surprise luncheon for Marilyn Pentico’s 80th birthday, hosted by her family. Dan and I had to stay and eat a little something.
Then we headed south for the annual Panther Creek Church of the Brethren bazaar and soup luncheon. The church was founded in 1869, the same year the Supreme Court was increased from seven to nine Justices.
The Brethren served chili and potato soup. Both were delicious. A relish tray was also available, plus corn bread muffins and a choice of bars or cookies.
They also had a wide variety of items for sale. I bought a loaf of pumpkin bread for Jeff Webster.
We did not have time to make it to Payton for the Salem United Methodist Church ham ball dinner. I will have to send them a donation.
After this last dinner, I was full and did not eat much for supper. Sometimes you have to suffer for a worthy cause.
Then of course the Perry Area Chamber of Commerce election day chili feed came on Tuesday. I was asked to work and had good visits with a lot of people.
A new weekend is coming up — the Veterans Day dinner at the High School, Veterans breakfast at Hy-Vee, several dinners to choose from in the area Saturday evening and several dinners on Sunday. We will definitely attend the Knights of Columbus Thanksgiving dinner at St. Patrick’s School.
Then next weekend comes a soup dinner at Penn Center United Methodist Church in rural Earlham and a hamball dinner at the United Methodist Church in Adel. Our joys overfloweth.
