The Garden City Telegram

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Food and fellowship

Published 2/4/2012 in Features

Groundhog suppers have tradition of bringing communities together.

By LAURIE SISK
lsisk@gctelegram.com

For 8-year-old Anabeth Ratzlaf, the highlight of the annual Methodist Men's Groundhog Supper at First United Methodist Church on Tuesday was dessert, namely the selection of nearly 200 pies baked and delivered by members of the congregation at FUMC.

To others, the event is more about tradition — the coming together of community members who otherwise might not assemble.

The event, which some church members believe began shortly after World War II, has continued to be arguably the biggest event hosted by the church, with meals prepared for nearly 1,200 guests.

The dinner also is the church's biggest fundraiser, with proceeds going to six scholarships for college-bound students, as well as necessary equipment and supplies for the church.

Tim Miller, chairman of the event, said it takes about 200 volunteers to make the supper a success.

"The last couple of years, we have had Junior Leadership Corps from the middle schools brought over for community service to help," Miller said. "They are always looking for ways for Junior Leadership kids to have opportunities. It's kind of an evolving thing, seeing what will work and what won't work."

Miller said success in gathering the rest of the volunteers varies, depending on the job.

"Some jobs are a lot easier to fill than others," Miller said. "There are some people who have done the same job forever. The hardest part is to get area leaders. Getting workers is generally not too tough. You just have to make a lot of phone calls."

Miller, who said he has been involved in various stages of the event for about 30 years, joked that some volunteers like working the event, while for others, it becomes a "labor of love."

He said initial planning for the event began a little before Thanksgiving this year.

Volunteers perform a multitude of tasks, from serving to helping cook nearly 600 pounds of ground pork.

"That's enough to serve about 1,500 people," Miller said. "We usually have a fair enough amount left over because you don't want to run out."

Leftover sausage is then frozen and sold to interested persons.

Miller joked that groundhog suppers started quite some time ago when "there was probably nothing better to do."

"They didn't have TV and all the sports activity they do now," Miller said, "It was just another way for the community to come together. It was a good fundraising idea that just stuck."

And Miller is pleased with the success of FUMC's annual supper.

"That's because of a lot of people putting in a lot of hard work," Miller said.

About 15 miles west of Garden City, the Brotherhood of Deerfield also stages an annual Groundhog Supper.

This year's event on Wednesday was the 74th, dating back to 1938. Like FUMC's, the proceeds go to charity.

Committee member Ross Miller estimates that $6,000 to $8,000 is raised for the annual event, with proceeds going to local youth organizations and the two local churches in Deerfield.

Miller and his committee of five oversee about 125 volunteers who serve in various capacities, from the butchering of hogs to bussing tables after guests are finished eating.

Those volunteers also include about 60 people who help butcher and process the 27 hogs used for this year's supper.

Miller, who has been involved with the dinner for more than 30 years, remembers a day when seventh-graders were required to "volunteer" at the dinner as servers, sporting black ties, white shirts and black pants and shoes.

"If you know a guy who's 70 and is from Deerfield, you know he is part of that tradition," Miller said.

He said that the committee, consisting of himself, Jim Horton, Joe Eskelund, Richard Braun and Larry Dean Combs, oversees the volunteers in what he calls a form of "structural chaos," which he says always seems to work out in the end.

"I flip the switch, turn on the lights and let them go at it," Miller said.

Miller said they served 1,386 meals this year, including carryouts and orders for their secretly spiced sausage.

"That's a great number of people, considering they have to get in their cars and drive all the way to Deerfield," Miller said. "We are very fortunate that Garden City and surrounding communities like Lakin, Ulysses and Scott City have been so supportive."

He said people go to incredible lengths to show their support. Last year, Miller said, he brought out plastic bags to shield people from the elements, while they waited patiently outside in single-digit temperatures.

Miller said that this year, they had seats for 306 people and were able to turn those over quickly enough to feed 460 in the first hour. All the sausage they prepared for the dinner either was served at the dinner or bought by the pound for carryout. The volunteers at the event also cooked 35 gallons of gravy and about 2,400 biscuits to add to their menu of ground sausage, mashed potatoes, applesauce and corn.

And after 30 years of helping with the dinner, Miller said he keeps going under the power of one simple mantra: "It's good to do good things. ... And this is a very good thing."

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