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A
QUARTER CENTURY OF SUPPER CLUB
(
from Lois
MacGregor , St. Catherine's Newsletter, Feb.2000 )
It all began 25 years ago when good friends of the Kerr-Wilsons
mentioned the idea of a Supper Club. John and Shirley Jordan,
who were members of St. Richard's congregation at the time
were originally from the USA where the concept originated.
Finding the idea of interest, Maggie and Keith obtained all
the details and presented them to the program committee of
the day for consideration. The suggestion of trying a Supper
Club at St. Catherine's as a means of fellowship and providing
the opportunity for adult members to get to know each other
better in a social setting was approved, and as the saying
goes, the rest is history. Very little in the way of format
has changed over the years, proving that the concept was indeed
a very sound one.
The first gathering was held at the Kerr-Wilson's home with
Maggie and Barbara Tarr serving as coordinators. Thirty people
participated. Barbara remembers the house being so full that
she and her husband Bob sat on the stairs to eat their meal.
The meals for the most part have always been served buffet
style with guests eating off the plate on their lap. More
recently, some hosts have been trying to provide the opportunity
for some, if not all of their guests, to sit at a table.
Of significance in the way of changes is the fact that in
the beginning all guests brought their own cutlery and plate,
and paid 25 cents towards the cost of the sherry that was
always served at the beginning of the meal. While a glass
of sherry is still offered by some hosts, a glass of wine
is more often served and there is no charge for either. For
the first gathering the host provided the main meat dish for
everyone, and the rest of the guests provided the vegetable
casseroles, salads and desserts. As the number of participants
quickly rose to around 80 for the second gathering, there
was a need to have several hosts. It was also decided that
hosts would now be responsible for providing sherry and/or
wine rather than the meat dish, and guests would bring all
of the food potluck style in the form of casseroles, salads
or desserts as requested by the hosts.
The number of members in the Supper Club has remained quite
constant over the years, around 100, with about 65-75 attending
each time. Usually four members volunteer to host the gatherings
in their homes on the last Friday of the month. Guest lists
are still drawn up today as they were in the beginning by
random selection. No gatherings are held in June-August or
December. The September gathering is held in Gower Hall with
about 12 members serving as table hosts. This provides an
opportunity for those who cannot accommodate a gathering in
their home to serve as hosts.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Supper Club, members
contributed recipes which were compiled into a booklet Recipe
from St. Catherine's Church Potluck Dinners. Three hundred
copies were sold at $5 each, and after the printing expenses
were paid, a contribution was made towards the maintenance
of the Memorial Garden.
Lois
MacGregor
Newsletter, Feb.2000
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