Visitors enjoy afternoon of pie, ice cream

Dozens of Bonduel community members enjoyed a lunch of sloppy joes, pie and ice cream at the Bonduel Community Archives.

The organization hosted the pie and ice cream social Aug. 1.

Close to 40 pies were donated from members of the community and volunteers at the archives.

Beverly Fink, a volunteer with the organization, said that she was happy to get the event scheduled again now that people are receiving the COVID-19 vaccination.

“It is really wonderful to see everyone back here again,” said Fink.

At the event, visitors were encouraged to try the different slices of pies — including flavors like pumpkin, key lime, pecan and cherry, among others. Vanilla ice cream was also available to pair with the pie. During the afternoon, members of the Bonduel High School band provided polka music as they played from the gazebo located next to the Bonduel Community Archives.

“This has been a great event today,” said Bonduel resident Linda Spreeman. “The music and the food is lovely.”

According to Fink, the money that is raised during the event goes back into the archives.

“The money goes to keeping us open,” said Fink. “It goes to pay the bills, keeping the lights and that sort of thing. We don’t pay anyone a salary — it’s all for the community archives.”

Fink said that seeing everyone at the event was a bright sight in her eyes.

“Having this event gives people the opportunity to meet old friends again,” said Fink. “We have some people that came from New London, and it just gets people back together again.”

She added that fundraisers like the pie and ice cream social have normally been received well by the public.

“The community supports us really well,” said Fink. “This is a small crowd, but we usually see bigger crowds at events.”

Mark Jensen, another volunteer for the organization, said that holding this event also brings people to the community archives, where they can connect with community members through their relatives.

“It is interesting to imagine the lives that our ancestors led,” said Jensen. “A lot of people are interested in their family file. They find connections with their fellow community members.”

Jensen believes that having the Bonduel Community Archives is an important part of the Bonduel community.

“I would hope that people enjoy this,” said Jensen. “When I was a kid, I couldn’t care less. But when I hit my 50s and 60s, it became more important. You run across stuff from your family’s past, which is pretty cool.”

Jensen added that this event is a step in the process of getting people to realize the vast history that Bonduel has.

“Everyone should feel free to stop in all day on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings,” said Jensen. “They will be amazed at the volume of information that this building has to offer.”

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com