The Rural Voice, 2000-09, Page 54up.er s ;,
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Belgrave-area resident was
A
visiting with someone from a
distant community one time
when he happened to mention the
remarkable Belgrave Fowl Supper.
"He nearly called me crazy," the
man recalled. "He said nobody can
feed 1,000 people in one sitting. 1
told him we'd only been doing it for
50 years."
The skepticism of the stranger was
understandable. Until you've
witnessed the annual feeding of the
multitude in Belgrave, it's hard to
believe something so immense could
be carried off with such precision. Of
course Belgrave has always been a
community with something special
going for it.
The fowl supper dates back to
1949 when nearly 1,000 people
crowded into the first Belgrave arena
for the first fowl supper. It was a
celebration of the community's
achievement in building the arena.
The community had raised the
$19,000 to erect the building but
community spirit went much further.
Throughout the summer of 1949,
volunteers had got together for work
bees to erect the arena. It was
estimated 75 per cent of the arena
was built by volunteer efforts. As
50 THE RURAL VOICE
well, the land for the arena and
nearby ball park was donated by two
village landowners.
The dinner carried on and today is
still a major fundraising event for the
arena's operating expenses,
providing $6,500 to $7,000 each
year, says committee co-chair Lorne
More than 1000 people sit down
for supper at the annual Belgrave
Fowl Supper (above). Turkey
arrives from the special room set
lip for turkey carving (right).
Some of the dozens of volunteers
await the next wave of serving
(below).