Weirdale fall supper tradition keeps community spirit alive

Countless volunteer hours are poured into the Weardale Community Hall Fall Supper, prepping and peeling. It's Gemma Nelson's first time volunteering for the supper. She moved to rural Saskatchewan from England and likes the small-town feel. Definitely there's a sense of community and people are also friendly and welcoming. So it's nice to be part of that. With only about 50 people living in the hamlet northeast of Prince Albert, People from the surrounding area are the backbone of the event. I'm a very, very strong believer in community, and I love helping out. It's good to get together with all the people, get to have the visit. It feels good at the end of the day that you've helped. The supper was discontinued in the early 2000s when Weardale's population dwindled. But the hall's board revived it about six years ago. We've got donated vegetables and potatoes that come from different gardens around the community and they're using some of the recipes that maybe were used by the generations before us. To keep it as traditional as possible, volunteers hand make most of the food for the meal including cabbage rolls, pierogies, salads and pies. That promise of home cooking has many people with ties to the area return to Weardale for the supper. It draws over 300 people to the hall for two seatings. It's great for families to come out after harvest and get together and meet and have a nice meal and visit together. Organizers say the event is a necessary fundraiser as the proceeds pay for the hall's utility bills and repairs. The donated labour and food help the event turn a profit. It gets the people of the town volunteering and being productive and helping out and I think it's amazing. It's a tradition many want to see carried on. Absolutely, it's got to continue. And hopefully younger people will start to help volunteer and move into the smaller communities to keep it going that way too. Lisa Rizom, CBC News, Weardale.