By LOU WHEELAND

Special to The Press

Much to the consternation of many Lehigh Valley residents, Good Will Fire Company No. 1, Trexlertown announced the cancellation of its annual fastnacht sale for 2021.

According to Linda Gorr, fire company secretary and president of the auxiliary, it just wasn’t feasible to expose the approximately 300 volunteers to the possibility of contracting the coronavirus.

Gorr has received overwhelming support on social media, though some criticism has been offered for not having this year’s sale.

The volunteers, comprised of firefighters, auxiliary and community members, are needed to cover six-hour shifts, 40 volunteers per shift, beginning 6 p.m. on a Friday and continuing until noon that Sunday.

All but a part of the apparatus floor of the fire department is converted into a bakery to create the traditional fastnachts.

Floors and walls are covered with paper to protect the finishes.

Tables are prepared to receive the more than 3,000 dozen fastnachts to be packaged.

This is all done while the volunteer firefighters are responsible to respond to any emergency in Upper Macungie Township.

Fastnacht ingredients include: 1,500 pounds of potatoes, 250 dozen eggs, 1,350 pounds of sugar, 3,200 pounds of flour and 700 pounds of lard.

In 1965, five different recipes were tried with the best being submitted by Elsie Heist.

Once the potatoes are cooked, it takes about three hours to finish the fastnachts and an additional two hours of cooling and bagging time.

All this is only possible with a great deal of “sweat equity” contributed by the volunteers.

The project, which began in 1965, now brings in between $13,000 to $16,000 to the fire company each year.

Though all three Upper Macungie fire companies, Good Will, Trexlertown; Fogelsville; and Upper Macungie Station 56; are heavily supported by Upper Macungie Township, there is still a need for each station to conduct fundraisers for needed supplies and equipment.

Gorr recommends checking Facebook regularly to see what fundraisers the fire company is offering.

Also, Bell Ace Hardware, Trexlertown, will be having a bucket and paint fundraiser sale to supplement the loss of funds from the fastnachts sale, though the date has yet to be set.

Gorr and her husband, Gary, have both been members of the fire company, with Linda joining the auxiliary in 1967 when her father was a firefighter and Gary joining as a firefighter in 1972.

Gary Gorr is now president of the fire company and Linda Gorr is both fire company secretary and president of the auxiliary.