HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1994-08-17, Page 39Bean Festival, August 17, 1994 - Page 23A
29th Bean Festival Souvenir Edition
Beans were distributed to local homes for cooking
Kitchens commandeered in early days
In the early years of the
Bean Festival, out-of-town
visitors actually believed
hundreds of pounds, of
beans were cooked in large
cast iron pots.
Former kitchen committee
member Helen Geiger said
the image was perhaps
implanted when visitors
spotted a large cast iron pot
at the centre of attraction. As
a novelty, a smaller iron pot
containing beans was hung
inside. 'Cooked beans were
sold in tubs but often visitors
asked for the beans cooked
in the iron pots.
The first kitchen committee
included Helen and her hus-
band Claire, Pearl Kuepfer
and her husband Gerald and
Madelon Rau and her hus-
band Charlie.
Of course, Zurich area resi-
dents knew the cooking was
Helen Geiger
started in large metal pots in
Gerald Gingerich's garage.
Geiger remembers the
amount of energy consumed
to cook about 200 pounds of
beans.
"We didn't have the people
they have now," she said,
"We served meals as late as
11 p.m."
From the garage, the beans
were deposited into roasting
pans and distributed to local
homes for further. cooking.
"We kept asking people to
cook," Geiger said. 1 caty
remember walking with a
pan (of beans) that wasn't
cooked enough and I tripped
over an electrical cord. "•
The day after the :Beal
Festival was spent cleaning
up.
The kitchen committee
used Gingerich's steam jest-
nys to clean the bean pans
"so we didn't need to scour
them. It was a mess."
At one point, the beans
were cooked in Zurich's
bake shop, owned then by
Allan Gascho. Geiger said
narrow pans the width of
bread pans had to be used to
fit Gascho's ovens.
Bean festival took shape over years
A brain -storming session 29
years ago was the germination
of the annual Bean Festival in
Zurich.
The Bean Festival began as a
quest by the Zurich .and
Chamber of Commerce to
attract tourists.
Ray McKinnon, a newcomer
at the time, was part of the
Chamber of Commerce.
He remembers the formative
years of what has become an
annual celebration.
Mr. McKinnon recalled that
the chamber felt since other
municipalities had their
festivals - turkey festival, corn
festival and maple syrup
festival - why not have a bean
festival. Beans were selected
because of the near monopoly
beans have on local crop
farming.
That first year, the idea for a
bean festival was shot down.
The idea was introduced again
the following year.
This time, the idea stuck so
the Lions Club and the
Chamber of Commerce
formed a striking committee
to organize the village's first
Bean Festival.
Got churches Involved
Mr. McKinnon said the bean
festival committee decided
representatives from all local
churches were needed.
The Zurich Minor Athletic
Association (ZMAA) joined
the Bean Festival from the
beginning doing the breakfast.
The bean committee also
endeavoured to pay for
advertising and then charge a
small fee for booths. They
decided to allow participating
organizations to keep their
profits for themselves.
Mr. McKinnon said the
festival committee considered.`,
itself lucky if the event_ b.
even.
The first Bean Pei
committee involved -1k
Deitz and Ray MC1 4, s,
continued do►