Verna Dietrich turns 90 at blockbuster birthday party

The Dietrich family pulled out all the stops in celebration of the 90th birthday of its beloved matriarch, Verna Dietrich.

The grounds of the Kempton Community Center took on the aura of an outdoor movie theater in what was billed as a “Spectacular Drive-In Fireworks Display” on the evening of March 13.

An estimated 600 vehicles with about 1,500 people turned out for the over-thetop birthday celebration.

The crowd rivaled that of the Kempton Fair and the annual consignment sale, the two largest events held at the Albany Township fairgrounds.

Flanked by five postersized photos on the building, Verna waved to well wishers from an alcove at the entrance to the community center.

Leading up to a 15-minute fireworks display, visitors were entertained by a video of Verna’s 90-year life journey with audio transmitted on their vehicle’s radio.

Narrated by entertainer (and Mountain Folklore columnist) Dave Kline, “Verna Through The Decades” traces landmark events in a remarkable life that began on a Perry Township farm on March 13, 1931.

Educated in one-room schoolhouses, Verna rose from a forelady in a Hamburg garment factory to founder, with her late husband Willard, of Dietrich’s Meats & Country Store in Krumsville.

Married in 1952, Verna

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COURTESY OF DIETRICH’S MEATS & COUNTRY STORE Verna Dietrich, founder of Dietrich’s Meats & Country Store, celebrated her 90th birthday at a spectacular drivein fireworks display at the Kempton Community Center on March 13. The 1,500people who attended took home a snack box shaped like the Krumsville store.

COURTESY OF DIETRICH FAMILY With her late husband Willard, Verna Dietrich founded Dietrich’s Meats & Country Store in Krumsville in 1975. She turned 90 on March 13.