Amish community fund raiser

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Dh and I went to the fundraiser last night and had a very nice time.

We were greeted when we arrived by one of the men who walked in with us, explained what they do as far as the meal, auction, and so on, and were told to just make ourselves at home.

They served barbequed chicken made over a wood fire, mashed potatoes, gravy, home made breads, baked beans, cole slaw, a variety of cakes and pies, and home made ice cream with strawberries. It was delicious!

They had tents set up to provide shade, with many tables and benches for everyone to sit at. The yard was full of buggies, the barn full of horses, cars and trucks were parked in a freshly mowed hay field. The men kept busy setting things up for the auction and socializing with people as they arrived, and I noticed many of the men tending to their small kids.

There were MANY children there, cute as can be in their traditional outfits. I really wish I could have taken pictures of several people and things there to share with you all. During the auction a 4 rail wooden fence was used as a bench by at least a dozen young boys and more were kneeling on the ground in front of the fence. It would have made a charming picture... most of us sat on wooden benches during the auction.

The girls and women were kept busy cooking, serving, bussing tables, etc. There were quite a few of us "english" there, and from what I saw, all were treated very well.

The auction included everything from baked goods and pints of home made maple syrup (sold as high as $50 per pint!) to quilts, furniture, plants, toys, freshly harvested green beans and beats, 200 bales of hay, and horse related items. The meal was paid for with good will offerings in a box with a slot cut in it at the beginning of the food line. They had one particularly nice quilt that was raffled... 3 tickets for $10. The prices on most items were quite high, reflecting the fact that this was a fund-raiser. The one thing that surprised me most was that none of the quilts went for over $240. Anyone who knows amish quilts knows that they often bring far more than that.