Chicken, Chicken!

Yesterday Grace Episcopal Church in Long Rapids held its annual Grilled Chicken Dinner.  The event usually attracts a larger crowd than the church's hall and kitchen can accommodate, so the venue is the Long Rapids Township Hall.  Almost all the food is homemade.  That requires considerable planning, plus a couple full days getting everything prepped.

The menu included grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, carrots, coleslaw, pickled beets, dill and sweet pickles, breads, and probably a few things I have forgotten.  And, of course, pie for dessert.  Lots of pie!

The Grilled Chicken Dinner is a Long Rapids annual delight.

Parishioners welcomed diners and sold tickets for a drawing
for the "Iris" quilt which Grace women have spent months creating.

Chicken was grilled outside on a perfect NE Michigan day.

"Serve yourself!"  And people did!

The menu featured grilled chicken...

...and mountains of (real) mashed potatoes and dressing.

Selecting a piece of pie is not easy...

...when the selection is this large!  Yum!

Unfortunately, the crowd was not as large as in past years.  We had serious competition in the area, including three weddings.  The head count was down about 100 from previous years, and so was the financial return.  That was disappointing, because this is a major fundraiser for Grace.  Still, those who attended had a wonderful dinner and lots of chat time with family and friends.

Although the crowd was smaller than in previous years,
everyone enjoyed themselves.

Even the "Lake Esau Mafia" showed up for dinner!

Sharon and Attila joined us for dinner.

Parishioners kept the serving table well provisioned...

...and washed up in the scullery.

Lloyd and Linda, Grace parishioners, took time out to eat.

For many families, this was the place to eat this weekend!

It remains to be seen how long Grace can continue putting on such a complex dinner — and they also do a Harvest Festival in the early fall!  However, it's for certain that no one went home hungry yesterday! •••