On the menu: country ham, pork tenderloin, bacon, livermush, sausage, eggs, grits, pancakes, cooked apples, homemade biscuits, gravy, so I'll be even quicker.
Today's the first Saturday of the month and that means breakfast with the Ruritan Club. My husband's a member, so he left before the crack of dawn. His assignment is to cook the bacon, and believe me, he'll come home reeking of bacon and country ham.
This monthly fundraiser has become a social event for the community. I meet up with friends that I don't see that often and we sit at the club house and chat for a couple hours as others come and go. What a leisurely way to spend a Saturday morning in small town America.
Ruritan. It's name alone conjures images of cows and green pastures. Rural is the root of this coined word and the root of the purpose. What began in the nineteen twenties as a civic club serving the communities in rural America has broadened into urban areas - without losing the small town smallness that is unique to the organization.
From the club's website:
- Ruritan's purpose is to create a better understanding among people and through volunteer community service, make America's communities better places in which to live and work. The slogan of Ruritan is "Fellowship, Goodwill and Community Service." Club membership represents a cross-section of the community in which the club serves, and is not restrictive with regard to occupation, social position, or any other specific criteria.
The Pilot Mountain School community also had a Ruritan Club, "had" being the operative word. It was organized there at the school, led by Frank Baker, the man who donated the land on which the school is located. It was an active club for years, although organizing men who work in the fields after working an eight hour shift at the furniture factories was no easy task. Talk about herding cats!
As demographics changed, so did the need for civic response, and membership declined until eventually the Pilot Mountain Club folded. The club here in my community is still active, although also experiencing a decline in membership. For now, though, it works on, serving breakfast and serving the community.
Breakfast is ready. Gotta go.
Catch of the day,
Gretchen
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