NDSU's Center for Heritage Renewal wants to know about traditional fall suppers across our region. The center is compiling directory information and starting a scholarly study of the seasonal meals.
Center director Tom Isern, University Distinguished Professor of history, said fall suppers or dinners are long-standing annual events for area churches and community organizations.
"The first ones serve the weekend after Labor Day. Activity peaks the first week of October, then diminishes as November comes and Thanksgiving approaches," Isern said. "The fall supper tradition is a mainstay of the cultural calendar on the northern plains."
According to Isern, the suppers serve the same foods at the same locations each year, and the people in charge assume customary roles to make them happen. Neighbors and relatives are fed — commonly with turkey and dressing or kraut. Sometimes the meal features roast beef, pork or an ethnic specialty, such as homemade sausage.
"The prairie folk who put on fall suppers not only feed the multitudes, but also do good for their communities," Isern said. "They raise money to sustain community organizations, they affirm community identity and they offer people the chance to renew friendships."
The center is once again publishing an online directory of fall suppers at http://heritagerenewal.org/suppers/. For their study, center staff would like to hear from people who hold historical records, such as minute books, accounts or news clippings, documenting their local fall supper traditions.
For more information about the center's directory or to supply information for the study, contact Amanda Biles, assistant to the director, at amanda.biles@ndsu.edu or 817-343-1502.
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