For Norm and Lisa Bradley of Ruscombmanor Township, the annual New Year’s Day pork-and-sauerkraut dinner at their local fire company is both a tradition and a way to support an important community service.
“We’ve lived in the township for about 30 years,” Lisa said. “It’s a local volunteer fire company, and we help it any way we can.”
Norm and Lisa Bradley of Ruscombmanor Township relax in the Ruscombmanor Fire Company’s social hall Monday morning with Lisa’s mother, Bette Foulke, after an early New Year’s Day dinner. They were among the first in line for the fire company’s annual pork-and-sauerkraut fundraiser, which they attend every year as a way of helping local fire company. (STEVEN HENSHAW – READING EAGLE)
Besides that, she said, they understand it’s one of the best pork dinners around.
Jonathan Blessing, assistant chief of Ruscombmanor Fire Company, rotates the sauerkraut during the fire company’s New Year’s Day pork-and-kraut fundraiser on Monday. (STEVEN HENSHAW – READING EAGLE)
Eating pork and sauerkraut on the first day of the New year is a tradition steeped in early Christian religious custom and Pennsylvania Dutch culture.
But Berks Countians who turned out to churches and fire halls had a more palpable reason for getting in line: they know it supports a worthy organization whose members roll up their sleeves days before the holiday to get things ready.
Norm pointed out that his wife comes from a family of firefighters.
“We kind of made it a tradition,” Norm said. “We know it’s a fundraiser for the fire company and we want to help.”
This year, they were joined by Lisa’s mother, Bette Foulke, who recently moved back north after years of living in Florida.
A line forms outside Ruscombmanor Fire Company on Monday for its annual New Year’s Day pork-and-sauerkraut fundraiser. (STEVEN HENSHAW- READING EAGLE)
A line formed outside Ruscombmanor Fire Company along Pricetown Road well before doors were supposed to open at 10:30 a.m.
One of the first in line was Kathie Gernert of Bern Township. Gernert said she supports the fire company throughout the year by donating her bingo winnings back to the organization.
Her late brother-in-law, Eric Fox, who died of cancer in 2020, was a Ruscombmanor fire chief.
The fire company, which hosted a dine-in buffet in the fire hall, expected to sell between 700 and 900 dinners, Chief Sharliene Bowers said.
“It’s one of our biggest fundraisers of the year,” Bowers said.
It’s an all-hands operation.
The volunteers cooked more than 900 pounds of pork butt. It takes three days to hand-pull the meat into bite-size morsels.
Chad Velazquez, right, empties another batch of potatoes into serving tray with the help of fellow firefighter Mike Velazquez. They were working the back “kitchen,” a truck bay that was temporarily converted for potato-mixing and pot-washing stations. (STEVEN HENSHAW – READING EAGLE)
A truck was removed from the bay adjacent to the kitchen so the space could be used for mixing potatoes and washing pots.
“I pray we don’t have a fire,” fire company President Larry Waldbiesser said.
Besides the firefighters, a number of people in the community come out every year to donate their labor, Assistant Chief Jonathan Blessing said.
Patience rewarded
At St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sinking Spring, the slow-roasting of pork began just two hours into the new year.
“What truly sets us apart is we cook our pork for 10 hours and we use real potatoes,” said Tim Fox, who was in charge of roasting.
A team spent two days boiling and mashing the potatoes, which were put into a warm oven at 5 a.m. Monday, about six hours before serving time.
Scott Hauseman dishes out the pork for carry-out meals being assembled by fellow volunteers, from left, Ashley Witkowski and Aurora Lehman in the kitchen of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sinking Spring. Organizers expected to sell more than 220 dinners consisting of slow-roasted pork, homemade potatoes and sauerkraut to walk-up customers for its annual New Year’s Day fundraiser that began about 50 years ago. (STEVEN HENSHAW – READING EAGLE)
“We couldn’t do it without our team of volunteers,” he said.
Indeed, the team preparing the more than 200 carryout dinners operated out of the small kitchen like a well-oiled machine.
The pork dinner has been a fundraiser for St. John’s since the 1970s, Pastor Rich Moore said.
Virgina Biniek, a resident of Phoebe Berks Village, heads to the parking lot of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sinking Spring, with her carryout dinner pork-and-sauerkraut dinner on Monday. Biniek said she drove out to get a delicious meal while supporting the church in its annual New Year’s Day fundraiser. (STEVEN HENSHAW – READING EAGLE)
It was held in the fellowship hall, dine-in style until COVID-19, when takeout was the only option. Because setting up and taking down the fellowship hall for the dinner is labor-intensive, the church decided to continue as carryout only.
“The drive-thru idea stuck,” Moore said.
Virginia Biniek drove from her residence in Phoebe Berks Village in Wernersville to get dinner for herself.
She didn’t do it out of superstition or religious tradition. Just for a good-tasting meal.
“And it supports the church’s mission,” she said.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment