Volunteers keep Oley Fair’s food coming
OLEY TOWNSHIP >> Marshaling all the food for a threeday event like the Oley Valley Community Fair requires an army of volunteers and a kitchen full of generals.
Kim Fies is up to the challenge.
Fies is a co-chairwoman of refreshments for the fair, along with co-chairwoman Jaimie Reinhard and cochairman Ray Noll.
“I’ve helped out at other events and I have some food service background, but this is my first full-blown year to work at the fair,” Fies said. “As a youngster, I did bring exhibits to the fair.”
This year, a commemorative cup will be given to the first 500 people who buy a milkshake, Fies said.
The Oley Valley Community Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily Sept. 19-21 at the Oley Valley Fairgrounds.
Freshest food
“The Oley Fair is kind of unique in that all the food is prepared by the fair and at the fair,” Fies said. “Being responsible for all that food is amazing.”
Local providers bring in all the hamburgers, hot dogs and beef barbecue. It’s enough to feed thousands of people over three days.
After all the food has been prepared, you still need someone to serve it, and that’s where the battalions of volunteers come in.
“To serve the food, it’s all volunteers and we get over 20 churches and civic organizations to provide the people we need to serve the food,” Fies said. “It’s an incredible feat and we couldn’t do it without the volunteers.”
Organizations that meet minimum volunteer hours are rewarded financially. As the organizer of the volunteers, co-chairman Noll leads the troops.
“Ray has been doing this for a number of years, so it’s just a matter of jumping in and helping out,” Fies said.
The first set-up of volunteers will begin about 9 a.m., and food will continue going until about 10 p.m., she said.
Some of the more popular stands may have lines, but people are patient.
“Nobody minds because as you’re standing in line, you meet people you know and begin talking,” Fies said.
Everybody likes the delectable
Pretzels and nachos
Over at the soft pretzels and nachos stand, Michele Greer of Schwenksville, Montgomery County, has made her volunteer effort a family affair, with daughters Lauren and Alison and two granddaughters helping, too.
When she was initially asked to help, Greer thought it was for one evening.
“The fair president, Kevin Bieber, just needed help one Friday night,” Greer said.
That was 20 years ago, and Greer has been handing out soft pretzels and nachos ever since.
Greer’s booth is a mainstay of fair comfort food, and gets a steady stream of customers every afternoon and evening.
“We’re between the milkshakes and the candy, so we’re the official snack area,” Greer said.
Repeat customers for warm soft pretzels are the norm, she said. About 1,500 to 1,800 soft pretzels are sold daily, Greer said.
“If it’s a cooler night, you’ll go through more,” Greer said.
The snack booth volunteers are also very good at giving directions to fairgoers, Greer said.
“I actually enjoy it, I really do,” Greer said of her 20-year volunteering. “We see a lot of family and a lot of friends and it’s really a neat community event.”
Sheep and goats
When Joyce Walters of Fleetwood was a youngster, she showed sheep at the Oley Fair with her 4-H Club.
Now, she is co-chairwoman of the sheep and goats at the fair, along with co-chairman George Vamvakias.
“My family was in the sheep club and we showed sheep all over and this was always a fun fair to go to,” Walters said.
For many years her mother, Mary Heffner, had been the co-chairwoman of the sheep and goats entries at Oley. Since her passing, Walters has stepped into the job.
“She helped for so many years, and George helped my mom for a number of years, so it’s like getting back down to the roots of where we started,” Walters said.
While growing up, Walters’ brothers and sisters showed cattle at the fair, but Walters, the youngest of five, preferred sheep since they were easier to handle.
“Now my kids are continuing the tradition,” Walters said, explaining that her son and daughter are showing goats this year. “The kids enjoy the Oley Fair so much and it’s always been like that.”
Being in charge of the animal entries requires work and organization.
Walters and Vamvakias will coordinate with Mark Hoch, who is in charge of livestock, then get the entries together, make sure all the health papers are in order, make sure there’s enough pen space for the number of entries they have, get the market animals weighed in and make certain everybody is in the right class on show day.
“Once you do it a couple of times, it’s a piece of cake,” Walters said.
Walters said she is especially pleased with the free admission to the fair so that entire families can come and enjoy.
“This is an awesome fair,” Walters said. “It’s a good way to end the summer.”
Admission to the Oley Community Fair is free, but there is a $5 parking fee. For complete event schedule, visit www.oleyfair.org