Dining at the Church on the Lake

Last May I posted about a delightful dinner served up at the First Congregational Church of Hadley, with the recommendation to blog readers (and others) to make time to attend such church suppers.  Last night Mr Madley and I took our own advice and attended the Chicken BBQ and Corn Fest at the North Hadley Congregational Church.

We arrived after the start and without reservations, which nearly lost us the opportunity to participate.  But after the chickens were counted and found to still be sufficient in numbers, we were admitted to dinner.  And what a delicious dinner it was -- barbecued chicken halves, corn on the cob, baked potato, salad, cherry jello pickles, lemonade, and watermelon.  Yummy.

The dinner was held outside at picnic tables behind the church, where there is a beautiful view of Lake Warner and the mountain.  We gathered our food and made our way to a table where we discovered a small group of new friends from our neighborhood.  We chatted about schools and a proposed project to clear some waterways, experiences car-camping and living in the West, and other good neighborly things.  One of the best things about these church dinners is the community-building they provide.  Don't get me wrong -- the food is delicious; but the people are what really make it worthwhile.

After dinner we were taken on a tour of the old church and some of its history was shared.

The Asparagus Testing Fork of Dot Russell.

Original foundation, exposed when the basement was dug out -- by hand.

Stairs.

The memorial plaque inside the church.

The chapel from the front.

The pipe organ (I hear they have a wonderful organist).

Original chandelier inside the chapel.

Chapel, congregation-view.

Isn't it lovely inside?
After dinner and the tour, we grabbed a program of upcoming events and traveled down Rt 47 to Creamy Delights for some ice cream.  A lovely time was had by all.

Now a question for the Hadley citizenry: what would it take to get you to attend one of these community church dinners?  Music, activities, more publicity...?