Meriden Ice Cream Social draws energetic crowd

Between 150 and 175 people attended the Fall Family Festival and Ice Cream Social held over the lunch hour at St. Paul’s Church of Meriden on Sunday, Sept. 13. The day began with a 10 a.m. outdoor worship.

 

An unusual offering for the day were horse-drawn wagon rides. Handlers Lex Lewison, 22, and Jacob Sommers, 12, were driving calmly in a circular route which took them through the parking lot and out onto the road. Lewison said he’s been coming to the Fall Festival for about five years now. Sommers said this was his second year.

 

Inside, adults and children were finishing up their meals with dessert options that included  M&M or chocolate chip cookies, as well as 15 different pies. Dianne Kath, one of the ladies working in the kitchen, commented that the day was going well, and lightheartedly expressed her hope the crowd would make cleanup easier by finishing off all the food: “Less to do afterwards, you know!”

 

Diner Brent Underwood stated enthusiastically, “I recommend the raspberry pie.” When asked whether he tried the apple pie, he replied, “If there were no raspberry pie, then I would try the apple.” He shrugged and admitted, “I’ve always been a raspberry man.” 

 

Judy Hoffman, one of the planners for the day, observed that the cheesy hashbrowns were going quickly. She mentioned servers had also received many compliments on the flavor of the pulled pork and pulled smoked turkey, then observed hot dogs were an additional option. She also wanted to introduce a new taste sensation being served for the first time in 2026, pineapple coconut pie baked by Betty Webber.

 

Hoffman expressed her thanks to everyone who had contributed food, and to those volunteering their time, commenting, “We all worked together and everything turned out great.” She also expressed gratitude for people who prayed for nice weather, “Those prayers really turned out some wonderful sunshine!”