Georgeville holds supper in honor of two local legends
Georgeville will soon see the return of an old classic, the chicken pot pie supper, in celebration of the lives of two pillars of the community, Georgina and Richard Hornby.
Their daughter, Sharon Camber, had the idea to hold it as a memorial for the two, as not only were they deeply involved in the community, but they were also the ones who started the tradition years ago as a fundraiser for the Georgeville Community Association.
“When we moved here in the 70s my mom bought the village store, and right after they started getting involved in community events. There’s the chicken pie supper, the street dance, and my mom was famous for doing the supper; she liked doing it and recruited all the local kids at the end of the year to help out. Everybody in the community looked forward to it because it was a community event where you got to see everyone and ask how their summer went,” recounted Camber.
The Hornbys were well known not only for running the village store, but also for their endless contributions to the community, which they kept up for decades after they arrived.
“My parents were really involved in the community, loved the community, and wanted to see it prosper while keeping those same family values. They each had a run as president of the Georgeville Community Association to make sure the events kept going. Being a non-profit, it relied on donations and fundraising.”
One such fundraiser was the chicken pie supper which they held yearly nearing summer’s end.
Camber’s mother was the one who originally started the tradition, rallying volunteers to cook, set up, and serve the meal whose proceeds went towards keeping the Community Association running. The supper hasn’t been run for around five years however, as it’s a big job and nobody wanted to take it on until now.
“It was my idea and I talked with my sisters about it. We wanted to bring it back and use it as a chance to celebrate their lives, the way they loved the community and wanted to bring everyone together.”
“Since mom died in 2020, and my father in 2021, I figured it would be a good tribute; a chance to say goodbye and get the community together one last time for this chicken pie supper. A lot of the people that were in Georgeville have died, and the new people who’ve moved in don’t really know anything about it, so it’ll be something new for them and a nice little get-together for the people who are still left.”
The proceeds, as is tradition, will be going towards the Association, which is used to keep their facilities up and running, as well as for community infrastructure and activities.
“The Community Association rents the hall and it needs to be cleaned and maintained, also things like the park where all the kids play needs to be upkept; there’s a big cost in keeping the community going.”
“My mother had to resurface the tennis courts at one point, so they had to get everyone together to fundraise for that, and there were the swings in the park that had to be redone. She also had to run all the committees because there was one for the chicken pie supper, one for the street dance, the corn boil, everything. Same for my father when he was on, he was on the
planning committee and had to come up with five-year plans to figure out how much they were going to need.”
The couple both worked tirelessly to bolster that sense of community and see their projects come to life for the people of their town, going far beyond just bureaucracy during their time in charge of the organization.
“The street dance was my father’s baby and he and my mother would organize that. He also used to build the skating rink when we were young. There was also a cleanup day in May that they would help out with when they were on the Board.”
Because of Covid, there wasn’t a proper opportunity to hold a community event in memoriam of the two, and so now, Camber said, she’s happy they’re finally getting to have a proper get together.
“I thought this would be a good way to celebrate their lives and let people know how the community felt about them. When they both died, people lowered the flag and we had so many emails with kind wishes, so we’re giving it back a bit with the supper itself.”
“It’s $20 a ticket and they’re almost three-fourths sold out. The supper is chicken pot pie with potatoes, carrots and peas; sweet rolls, coleslaw, and homemade pies. It’s one sitting with 100 tickets, and once they’re sold that’s it.”
The supper will take place on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.
There are only around 25 tickets left, with them being available through Camber by calling her at 819 843-8070.
Whether it was behind the counter at the village store, or over a warm pot pie, the Hornbys were surely the cause of many warm memories for the people of Georgeville.