Secret recipe key to success for grangers
IRWIN TWP, Venango County — For 70 years, the recipe of the buckwheat cake has remained a mystery to all but three members of the Wesley Grange.
It's that closely guarded secret that brings hundreds each year to the buckwheat cake supper, which is celebration on Saturday.
"People come from all over for this," said Carol McCullon, chairwoman of the event. "Someone who grew up here and served in the Army planned his trip home around the pancake supper."
McCullon is one chosen to guard the recipe, having had it passed on to her from Mary Walters and from Edna Riddle, who had the original recipe. McCullon thinks she'll pass the recipe to her daughter one day, but she's not sure at this point.
"People have asked for the recipe but I won't give it out," she said.
She will give people "starter" batters during the suppers and they will add to it, using it for cakes all year long, she said.
A second supper was added in 1989 in the spring, and the two events are the only fundraisers for the grange all year. Money raised is used for the upkeep of the hall on Old Route 8, just north of Barkeyville, which is used for community events.
The grange also provides money for fire victims, funeral dinners and other events for community members.
The suppers usually bring in 1,200 to 1,400 people, with a waiting line of more than 100 people in the mornings. With each person eating between four and five cakes, it means a massive effort by about 100 grangers and other volunteers.
Committee members make about 300 gallons of buckwheat batter, plus prepare regular pancakes, apple salad and sausage.
The highest attendance at a supper was 1,900, and the most buckwheat cakes eaten by one man was 26, according to McCullon.
The batter is still made from scratch with a custom-made mixing tool to make the job easier. A.J. Owens, grange member, made the mixer in 1951 out of a 30-inch rod and mixing apparatus that is fitted to a regular drill.
Once the batter is created, a day before the supper, someone needs to stay at the hall during the night to stir it occasionally. If not, the batter will rise up out of the bowl, just like bread dough that rises, according to McCullon.In addition to grange members, teens from George Junior Republic in Grove City or anyone who needs to do community service sometimes will help with the supper, said McCullon.None of the committee members mind doing the work."It gets in your blood," said McCullon."The community expects it," according to Janet Pratt, who has belonged to the grange for 30 years."If we didn't have (the suppers), we wouldn't have the grange," said Alice McDowell.She and her husband, Jim McDowell, master of the grange, have been involved in the suppers for many of those 70 years. The couple joined the Mercer County Grange in 1934 and moved to the Wesley Grange in 1965."My first date was a grange supper," said Alice McDowell.The granges were active community centers when the couple was young, they said. With three-act plays, fairs, dinners and farm-related activities, there was something to do at the hall almost every week."It was a wonderful organization, especially for young people," Alice said. "It's a shame there's not as much interest today."Active grange membership has declined from between 80 and 100 to about 30, but the youth group is growing, according to Pratt. As a third generation granger herself, Pratt said the grange gives young people somewhere to gather. Although originally focused on promoting farm-related activities, Pratt said the organization now focuses on community service and promoting all types of activities for children 5 and older.Serving for the supper begins at 7 a.m., with the busiest time between then and 9 a.m. They serve all day with entertainment planned for 7 p.m. by the John Hanna Grand Old Opera group.For information, call McCullon at 814-786-7205.
<B>WHAT: </B>Wesley Grange buckwheat cake fundraiser featuring entertainment by the John Hanna Grand Old Opera group<B>WHEN: </B>Service begins at 7 a.m. Saturday, with entertainment at 7 p.m.<B>WHERE: </B>North of Barkeyville on Old Route 8<B>INFO: </B>For information, call Carol McCullon at 814-786-7205.
