[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...ArticleID=16121

Fresh, Old-Fashion, Food
750 gather in Pioneer Land for beans and homemade pie.

By Joseph Malan
For The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - Hundreds of hungry La Porte county residents lined up for an old-fashioned meal at the La Porte County Fair on Sunday.

An estimated 750 fair participants gathered to dine on a meal of beans, cornbread and homemade pie in Pioneer Land. Agnes Metcalf, a quilt-maker at the fair, helped with the dinner for her second year.

Dressed in a typical pioneer women's dress, she said she loves the experience. "I like it, it gives me something to do," she said. In addition to making quilts for fair participants to bid on, Metcalf also volunteers at Swanson Activity Center for Older Adults in La Porte.

Eli Roscka, a volunteer cook at the fair since 1995, enjoys seeing many friendly faces at the dinner.

"It's one of those community things," Roscka said. "I get to meet a lot of neighbors and have a lot of fun."

Roscka and fellow cooks served up 150 pounds of beans and 150 pounds of ham to fair-goers during the hot summer afternoon. Despite the fact the beans were the main event at the dinner, Jan Glassman and her group served authentic homemade pies and cakes that captured the fancy of many peoples' taste buds.

"All the fruit was harvested locally," Glassman said. "There's nothing that came out of a can."

Money collected at the dinner will be donated to the county fair's Log Cabin Committee.



Joseph Malan is a reporter for the La Porte Herald-Argus.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Sounds pretty dang tasty.