The annual Groundhog Day Dinner and Silent Auction is hosted by the Harrison Township Historical Society
The Harrison Township Historical Society’s annual Groundhog Day Dinner and Silent Auction is set for Saturday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m., in Ewan Fire Hall, 312 Ewan Road, Ewan.
This annual event features “Down Jersey” sausage links, sausage gravy and biscuits, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, candied yams, fried apples, green beans and a dessert buffet. Now in its 14th year, the event is a revival of a century-old Harrison Township tradition.
“The menu entrée is a play on words,” Society President Bob Schumann said. “We serve sausage — the ‘ground’ hog — to celebrate the holiday.”
The first local Groundhog Day dinners took place in the early 1900s. Local farmers belonging to the Richwood Men’s Bible Class made the sausage and prepared the dinner for the entire church.
“Several years ago the society’s board decided to revive the tradition,” Schumann said. “Not only are we preserving local culinary history, the dinner also helps fund the society’s activities. It’s a unique local event.”
The dinner is a fun-filled evening for the entire family. In addition to the home-cooked menu, the program includes an emcee decked out in tails and top hat, a popular silent auction and perhaps the only opportunity in South Jersey to sing Groundhog Day songs.
“We found lyrics about Groundhog Day set to familiar tunes and thought they would be fun to include on the program,” Society Trustee Judy Suplee said. “Fourteen years later they’ve become a Groundhog Day Dinner tradition.”
Tickets for the event are $15 and available at the Amazing Grace Resource Center, 46 South Main St., Mullica Hill (856–478–9800) and at the door.
“Advance purchase is recommended since seating is limited,” Suplee said.
All proceeds benefit the society’s exhibitions and educational programs at the Old Town Hall Museum, located at the intersection of S. Main Street and Woodstown Road in the heart of the Mullica Hill Historic District. This spring the museum will feature “Seven Quilts for Seven Sisters,” an exhibition of the work this well-known performance group based in Mullica Hill used to explore the history of slavery. As the group stated, their performances explored “the joys of sisterhood and the trials of slave life and how quilting helped them cope.” The exhibition opens March 17 and continues on Saturdays and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. through May 20. The exhibit will be closed for Easter and Mother’s Day.
Up to date information about the Groundhog Day Dinner and upcoming activities can be found at the society’s website, www.harrisonhistorical.com.
