Harvest of friends makes dinner annual event

MAT-SU — Sometimes you just need to stop and appreciate the bounty of another year living in the Valley.

That’s the premise behind the annual Harvest Dinner, sponsored by the Northland Pioneer Grange, Palmer Kiwanis and Mat-Su Farm Bureau, which filled the Elks Lodge on Wednesday with farmers and city folks alike.

Organizer Sig Restad, president of the Northland Pioneer Grange, said the dinner has been a Valley tradition since about 1970 when the Kiwanians and Grangers hosted a dinner in the basement of St. Michael’s Church in Palmer.

“There’s been one almost every year,” Restad said.

Sometimes the Kiwanians have taken the lead; sometimes the Grangers. Sometimes, it’s the Mat-Su Chapter of the Alaska Farm Bureau that has made sure the dinner happened. In recent years, the dining space donated by the Elks gives the dinner a central, low-cost location.

Restad said that’s part of what makes the annual meal a special event — no single organization owns the concept.

“It gives an opportunity for the community to get together,” Restad said.

Local farmers donate produce for the Alaska Grown feast, prepared by Jeff Dunk, chef at the Palmer Senior Center. This year, Mat-Su Farm Bureau bought a 4-H market hog at the Alaska State Fair to serve at the dinner. Local 4-H and FFA students help serve the meal, clean up and help with the auction, which raises money to help the youth organizations. All proceeds from the auction and the surplus from the donations accepted at the door are split equally between local FFA and 4-H.

The auction of donated items from area businesses and individuals — everything from homemade breads and professional artwork to bags of potatoes and truck rims — raised more than $2,600 this year, according to Brad Sworts, Grange treasurer.

“I think this is the most we’ve ever raised,” Sworts said. “We sure appreciate all the people who came.”

Another donation, a pellet stove given by Alaska Fireplace valued at more than $4,000 — will be raffled in coming weeks to aid the students as well.

For Palmer Kiwanian Wallace Riehle, the dinner is the don’t-miss-it event of the fall. Riehle pulls his early 1950s, faded blue FFA jacket out of his closet and wears it to the dinner. On the back, it reads Canby, Oregon — Riehle’s hometown.

His wife gets into the event, too. She brings a dessert for the annual dessert contest. This year’s entry was blueberry delight. Last year’s entry won the top prize. She also donated to the auction a book she wrote about growing up on the Kenai Peninsula.

“The background of agriculture in Alaska is something we really want to promote,” Wallace Riehle said. The future is important, too, he added, noting that development is eroding away the Valley’s base of farmland.

Riehle said he’s also glad to see the students involved in the effort.

“Anytime you can involve the younger generation with agriculture, it’s good,” he said.