It’s Crawford County Fair week in the Atlantic community. Thank you for praying for our pie project. We had ten or more bushels of elderberries donated, so we’ll have plenty of elderberry pie this year.
Fallowfield United Methodist Church volunteer bakers made and froze 301 peach and summer harvest (a blend of peaches, cherries, and blueberries) pies on August 13. Praise God for all the volunteers we’ve had this and last month. We’ve picked roughly 150 pounds of blueberries, made and froze about 800 apple, Dutch apple, strawberry-rhubarb, peach, and summer harvest pies, shelled bushels and bushels of elderberries, peeled and sliced 10 bushels of peaches, prayed lots of prayers, scheduled shifts for pie bakes and the fair booth…it’s been an exciting month.
We’re all set for this week, but we still need your prayers. And if you’re able to help us at the church, fair booth, or can stop by the booth to buy a piece of pie or eat a meal, please do.
This is our 63rd year at the fair. God has been so good to us. He has always supplied the ingredients, workers, and customers we need to pull off this project. Mission work is what sets Fallowfield United Methodist apart, I think. I hope we can continue this project for years to come.
Some of my favorite memories of working at the church and booth happened when I was a teenager. I loved mixing fruit for blackberry, apple, Dutch apple, strawberry rhubarb, and my favorite -- blueberry pies. It made me feel grown up and appreciated when I helped out at the church.
Back then we didn’t even get a piece of pie at bakes, so that self-satisfaction was my only reward. I didn’t understand that God blessed me for serving Him, but I do now.
I loved working at the fair booth. We had so many nice customers who supported us year after year. I got to know their faces and pie preferences.
There is a fair judge who always orders rhubarb pie. One gentleman routinely ordered coffee and persuaded me to add whole milk rather than using dry creamer. The sister of a Sadsbury Elementary School teacher always ordered coconut cream with ice cream. Another lady always requested a runny raisin pie.
Many people who have gone to be with the Lord served faithfully during the fair project. They made pie crust, sliced peaches and apples, washed dishes, cut pies at the fair booth, rolled crust, ran ovens at the church, and did so much more. And those who are still with us astound me by their work ethic. Ladies in their 80s and 90s still help as much as they can because they believe in this project.
Last year we donated net profits to missionaries and charities ranging from The Salvation Army in Meadville and Greenville all the way to missionaries Lowell and Claudia Wertz in Tanzania. This is why people help us with this project and why God has sustained it for 63 years.
Just a heads up: you may buy whole pies at the church. Cash or checks only. Come between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pie trucks deliver pies around 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. If you have a special request, call the church and we’ll take your order. The church’s phone number is (814) 382-6173. Thanks for your support and prayers. The church’s address is 3993 Leach Road, Atlantic.
If you’d like to help us during fair week, call Debbie Hall at (814) 382-7288 or (814) 573-9046. You may also call Anita Hans at (814) 573-3517.
Again, pie baking shifts are at 6 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 3 p.m. They typically last three to four hours. Dream about the warm piece of pie with ice cream you’ll get to enjoy as a thank-you for your help.
If you’d rather work at Fallowfield’s fair booth, the shifts are from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. to closing. We usually close between 9 and 10 p.m. We need people to grill hamburgers, make fries, serve sloppy joe, wash dishes, and wait tables. You’ll get a complimentary sandwich, fries, beverage, pie, and ice cream for volunteering. You can get to the booth through Gate 1 at the fairgrounds.
Have a wonderful week, and thanks for your prayers. Blessings!