Chicken and cow drawings decorated the closed bleachers at the Hamburg Fieldhouse. Tables featured cardboard barn decorations.

Regardless of the cold and snowy weather, more than 700 people attended the Farm Family Appreciation Celebration on March 18.

This number was only a few less than in past years, even with good weather.

Animal hats were available for children as they entered the hall and, when the dancing began, it was obvious there were more small children than in previous years.

Many youthful dancers wore cowboy boots instead of dancing shoes.

This, the 17th Farm Family Appreciation Dinner, is held every spring before work keeps farm families in the fields and unable to travel far from home.

Sponsoring churches, insurance companies, granges, banks, extension services, Women of the ELCA, The Salem Company and Charles Snyder take part in funding the event.

Farming families eat for free. Friends and neighbors pay a reasonable amount for the buffet provided by Moyer’s Catering Service.

Farm Family Appreciation Dinner Committee members include Patty Bauscher, Karen Boyd, Pastor Mary Gade, Christi Graver, Joann Hunsicker, Nancy Knandler, Warren Loch, Dwane Miller and Henry Seidel.

Master of Ceremonies, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Zeiser, Bishop of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Lutheran Synod, led a communal prayer printed in the program booklet:

“From ancient darkness you put in place all that is needed for growth, and saw that it was good.”

Zeiser asked all military enlistees to raise their hands for acknowledgment. This was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

The bishop finished with another prayer saying, “What a wonderful world You have given us: the blessing of those who till the soil and care for the animals.

“We thank you for those who farm and those who support them. We thank you for our food.”

One attendee was scurrying around trying to find dancers to complete a square after dinner. The square dance and country music were by The Majestics.

The Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association provided place mats which stated:

·98 percent of dairy farms are family owned.

·Animals, treated with respect and compassion, is part of every dairy farmer’s commitment to his or her business.

·As active members of their communities, farm families take pride in maintaining natural resources. The second side of the place mats featured trivia and puzzles for children.

For anyone interested in planning the 2018 dinner, the next meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. on April 18 at Ziegels Church, Breiningsville.