Blooming strawberries

Strawberries in the Country

You can't beat fresh strawberries in the summertime.

Add to that sloppy joes, beans, potato salad, not to mention a mouth-watering bake sale, beautiful handmade quilts for sale and plenty of broad smiles and warm saluations, the 71st Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church's Strawberry Festival was all it is hyped to be.

Ann Rudland serves up the festival specialty - strawberries
with your choice of shortcake, angel food cake or ice cream.

"As soon as I got here, I heard people tell me, 'wait til the strawberry festival' as far as what kind of congregation this was," said Pastor Lindsay Stolen said, who started last fall in her first call to the church. "I didn't have to wait that long to find out what kind of people there were here, but when this (the festival) came closer I could see the well-greased machine go to work. I just stepped back, let it happen and offered help where needed."

She was right. A visitor gets to the parking lot and it greeted by attendants directing traffic and guiding one towards the side door of the 153-year-old church. Once inside, many lovely ladies shower you with information, whether you want just a meal, purchase food, quilts or raffle tickets, or just sit quietly in worship area. The small, country church is located halfway between Blooming Prairie and Austin, amongst the corn and bean fields of Mower County. It doesn't get much more inspiriting than this - especially Tuesday, June 12, when the 65-degree weather couldn't be matched for event planning.

Mary Kittelson and Doris Draayer co-host the event.

Red Oak Grove's WELCA (Women of the Evangelical Church of America) have been organizing this event, the primary fundraiser for the church for more than seven decades. Last year they cleared $5,000 (the first $1,250 is matched by Thrivent Financial) with proceeds divided for youth and church needs, which usually includes a few repairs or purchases for kitchen equipment. Like most church socials of this kind, it started out just as a congregation gathering and has erupted into serving close to 700 people a year. A steady stream of hungry people waited patiently as volunteers took their a la carte orders, topped off by the sugar-free strawberries blanketing either shortcake or angel food cake - and a scoop of ice cream.

The angel food cake and shortbread are made the day before, with the potato salad and strawberries prepared earlier. It takes awhile to hull 300 pounds of strawberries and a peel few hundred spuds, not to mention laboring over the hot stove but the women - and men - take great pride in their event and do the work happily together.

There was a time that the strawberries were picked by hand by the women of the congregation from strawberry patches from farms in the area. Most women supplied a few quarts each. As years pass that labor intensive project - and less farmers raising strawberries - forced the festival committee to look to local vendors to purchase the red fruit.

Judy Wambeam could be found behind the bake sale table
and helping with the quilt sale.

Doris Draayer has enthusiastically worked the festival for over 40 years. "It just is a lot of fun to work with these women, who also enjoy participating. It really is a whole congregational effort." Proof, as they say, is in the strawberry (not pudding) because Doris is one of several three-generation festival working families working this year. She said after church the Sunday before the event, volunteers gather to peel potatoes and boil/shell eggs, placing them in the cooler for mixing the next day. The well-oiled machine then goes in full throttle, whisking along smoothly and if there are any hitches, they are meant with a chuckle and little extra elbow grease.

"There is such a nice group of young people working here - and that's been true over all these years," said Doris. "It definitely is a generational effort. We do what the people ask for. This year we had the suggestion of adding quilts that the women of the church make during the year for missions, so we thought that was a great idea." Also added in the last couple years are take-outs, where people from as far away as Albert Lea, Dexter and points east have come to take the yummy foods home. Official serving started at 4 p.m., ending at 7 p.m., but earlier in the afternoon St. Marks Lutheran Home in Albert Lea, Prairie Manor Nursing Home in Blooming Prairie and other facilities had residents bussed in for a meal.

Judy Wambeam, head quilter of the Red Oak Grove women, was proudly representing her group, with a few of her quilters also in attendance. Prices for the tied-quilts were amazingly low for such great quality. "Last year we made 103 quilts for the church missions, and 43 were baby quilts given where needed - this is just from last fall," she said. They take a couple months off in the summer before gathering their sewing skills for another year, where about 20 women collect to stitch. It's another fellowship opportunity for the 200-member church.

Mary Kittelson is another parishioner who rolls up her sleeves and digs in - enjoying every minute. Her sister and kids also help out. "It was a family tradition. My grandma, my mom, now me and my kids have helped out. We just enjoy doing it. And it helps to have a great role model like Doris to inspire us. We just want to continue what the earlier generations started."

That's unusual for church socials. Although everyone talks for hopes in perpetual continuation of their social gathering, lack of volunteers and higher food prices, drive many to the graveyard. Not at Red Oak Grove. They welcome newcomers and younger generations for their ideas and energy. However, Red Oak Grove did see its annual lutefisk dinner come to a halt several years ago. But all the energy is in the strawberry festival, something the whole congregation is most proud of.

Even in times of stress, the festival keeps going. Mary laughed when she recalled a few years ago that the power went out at the church during the festival. "We blew a transformer, but just kept going at it. We talked about maybe charging more when we got out candles to sit on the tables for light. We thought ambience should be worth a little more."

Take Madaline Collette, who now lives in Austin, but a former congregation member. She sat chatting in the landing area but recalled many wonderful memories of attending/working the festival - something she's done since 1946. "You just can't beat the food and people here," she said smiling.

It's obvious how Red Oak Grove integrates the whole family through service, fundraising and fellowship and fun with this one event. Many churches could learn a lot about the love these people have for their church.

Strawberries come to the surface, but it's the hidden work that built such a strong foundation that will span many more years in the rural landscape of Minnesota.

It's definitely an event full of history - and calories!


RECIPE TIME!

Marlys Peterson is one of the main cooks
in the kitchen.

Here's the recipe - direct from the 2009 cookbook - for the best shortcake you can make to share your strawberries with. Marlys Peterson cooks many panfuls for the festival and also put together the congregation cookbook where it can be found:

ROL Festival Shortcake (Red Oak Grove)
1 box (8 cups) Pioneer Brand Biscuit Mix
3 1/2 cups milk
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients until blended, do not over mix. Put into a well greased/or sprayed 11x17 pan. Bake 350 degrees in oven for 25 minutes or until done. When slightly cooled take out of pan and place on cooling rack. When cool, cut the cake into 28 pieces.


Future events:

United Methodist Church, Dover - Ice Cream Social, Thursday, June 14: 5 to 7 at the Fire Hall. BBQ, chicken salad, potato salad, baked beans, chips, bars and ice cream.

Sunday, June 24 - Moland Lutheran Church Strawberry Festival, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rural Kenyon, MN