The Rural Voice, 2000-08, Page 34THE WHOLE TOWN'S COOKIN'
The Zurich Bean Festival celebrates its 35th anniversary this year — 35 years of
promoting one of the area's staple crops and of a whole community working together
Stora' hl' Keith Roulston
30 THE RURAL VOICE
of The Lakeshore A
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Many things have changed in 35 years but the
teamwork shown by the community of Zurich,
town and rural residents alike, continues to make
the Zurich Bean Festival a success.
As the 35th edition of the Bean Festival approaches on
Saturday, August 26, farmers and businessmen,
homemakers and professional women will roll up their
sleeves and work side by side preparing for one of
Ontario's largest food events. It takes more than 300
volunteers to pull off a one -day festival that draws a crowd
more than 25 times the population of the village.
Cooking for 4,000-5,000 people, for instance, is not an
everyday occurrence. Donna Thiel had never cooked for
more than 50 people before she got involved in helping in
the Bean Festival Kitchen. Today, 25 years later, she's in
charge of the kitchen, possessor of the secret baked bean
recipe and in charge of a staff of 75 volunteers.
Thiel will begin her preparations a month ahead,
ordering supplies as needed. The kitchen will need 2,200
pounds of dry white beans, for instance, and 4,500 smoked
pork chops.
To prepare for the Saturday event, Thiel's volunteers
swing into action the Sunday night before when 600
pounds of dry beans are put in water to soak. The next
night those beans will be combined with the other
ingredients and the baking will begin. Another 600 pounds
of beans are put on to soak so they'll be ready to be cooked
the next night. And so it goes until Thursday night. The
cooked beans are stored in the Bean Festival Kitchen's
walk-in coolers. (Over the years the festival has created its
own well-equipped kitchen.) On Saturday, they'll be hauled
out again, reheated in the big bean cookers and served to
the waiting crowds of people. By 11 a.m. the meals are
ready to be served and there's really no slowdown until the
kitchen closes at 7 p.m., says Thiel. There's no skimping —
it's all the beans you can eat. Children can get their own
portions with beans and hot dogs.
Thiel is typical of the volunteers involved. She was
lured into the kitchen 25 years ago by her cousin who asked
her to come out and devote some time to stirring the
cooking beans.
Cynthia Strickland has a similar story. She arrived in
town 12 years ago to work for the local ambulance service.
She accepted an invitation to help out stirring beans
because she thought it would help her get to know more
people in town. For the past eight years she has been part of
Zurich Bean Festival President Jody Durand (above left)
works alongside the rest of the army of volunteers
scooping baked beans from a large vat. Part of the
duties of Bean Festival volunteers is ensuring visitors
are well informed (below, left).