DANVILLE — Some traditions remain strong. Count Boy Scout Troop 301's ham stand as one.
The troop has operated the ham stand for 51 years now.
"I think it started at Fair on the Square," said Darlene Kimbler, a committee member who has been in charge of the ham stand for five years. "I recently learned they started out serving hot dogs."
Eventually organizers switched to ham. They brush them over an open wood fire with a sauce that comes from a secret recipe.
"It's blossomed into this," Kimbler said waving her arms. This is the third year Troop 301 has set up shop in the corner of the Mowing Zone parking lot at U.S. 36 and Mackey Road.
At 1 p.m. Saturday there was a steady line of customers. Besides ham the menu included baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, homemade desserts, and a drink. Carryout meals also were offered.
"The weather has been so gorgeous," Kimbler said. "We are lucky. It was really steady all day (Friday). So far today it's been doing the same thing. As people get out of the North Salem (Old Fashion Days) or the races or whatever else is going on, a lot of them stop here."
This is the only fundraiser Troop 301 has every year. Proceeds help defray costs for the Scouts' summer camp, awards, and troop equipment. The number of people it takes to run an operation like this, Kimbler says, is "more than we have."
"All the kids have to work and their parents have to put in 12 hours for each kid they have," she said. "Then it's anybody else we can rake in."
Kimbler says there's 60 to 70 people total who help out over the long weekend (Troop 301 has just less than 30 Scouts).
"We run it from Friday morning until Monday and it's round the clock," she said.
Yes, that does mean people work all night too.
"Mainly they're cooking and cleaning," Kimbler said. "But if people come in and want something to eat they'll serve them."
All told, they serve and sell about 3,000 pounds of ham. Many customers also order 15-pound hams that they freeze and serve over the holidays. But the sandwiches are popular too. The troop goes through 250 dozen buns and sometimes has to order more.
Kimbler says they see a lot of the same people every year.
"Normally when they see us setting up Thursday they ask, ÔWhat time can we get ham?'" she said. "We have to say, 'Let us get the fire built first.' People look for this every year and we see a lot of the same faces."
wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com
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