Eat -- it's for a good cause

Full-course meals or just a nosh are available all day.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
When you want to overindulge in some really great food at the Canfield Fair but you feel like you need an excuse, just tell yourself: Hey! It's for a good cause.
Then head out and find one or more of several churches and clubs that are offering goodies ranging from full-course, homemade meals to apple dumplings to fresh french fries, and eat as much as you want.
These churches and organizations, many of whom depend on the fair as their biggest fund-raiser of the year, will feed you well.
Early Wednesday afternoon, the rain was drizzling down, and business at the vendor booths was slow. Sardonic chuckles and shrugs met the question: "How's business been so far?" But there was the hope for a more profitable evening. The weather was expected to clear up; business would be better.
At the Struthers United Methodist Church stand on Bishop Drive, Betty Freese was optimistic. "We've got connections upstairs," she said. "It's gonna stop."
The stand offers a selection of sandwiches, including sloppy joes, drinks and french fries.
And mothers of infants, take note: They'll wash out baby bottles and supply milk.
"It's our biggest fund-raiser of the whole year for church projects," said volunteer Debbie Pompeii.
Full-course meals
If it's a full-course meal you're craving, you can check out the Austintown Community Church's cafeteria on Canfield Drive, the Deerfield Hot Stove cafeteria under the grandstand, or the Greenford Ruritans dinners on Boardman Drive.
June Weaver, who was dishing out the goods for the Austintown church, said the fair has been an annual fund-raiser for more than 75 years. Ten percent of money raised goes to charities and the rest toward church projects. The cafeteria opens at 6 a.m. for breakfast. At lunch and dinner, try the meatloaf: Weaver says it's famous.
At the Deerfield Hot Stove dining hall, volunteers help raise money for boys and girls baseball teams in Deerfield.
The dining hall opens at 7 a.m. for full breakfasts and stays open until the grandstand closes.
"We have the best meals at the Canfield Fair," said Nancy Finch, who was assisting in the dining hall Wednesday. Hot ham and roast beef dinners are the big draw.
At the Greenford Ruritans on Boardman Drive, it's chicken dinners cooked by an expert -- Bill Pitts has been cooking them for the club for 32 years. "Shorty" makes great milkshakes too, said club member Randy Chismar.
Proceeds are donated to Greenford schools, the Green Township fire department and people in the community needing help, Chismar said. The fair is the club's only fund-raiser. Breakfast is served starting at 7:30 a.m., and the dining hall stays open until the club runs out of chicken -- usually around 7 p.m.
Church projects
Still hungry? If you like apple dumplings and ice cream, the Lord of Life Lutheran Church of Canfield can help you out.
Norma Thomas, who was manning the stand Wednesday, said 10 percent of proceeds goes to charities and the rest goes to capital improvements and other church projects.
The stand is on Canfield Drive.
At the Poland United Methodist Church stand on Bishop Drive, the menu includes apple dumplings, ice cream and fresh-brewed iced tea. Kitty Matteson said the dumplings are baked at the site. She said the booth's purpose is to raise money for missions.
After you've walked around the fair for a few more hours, you might be hungry again. If french fries made from fresh potatoes sounds good, head for the Springfield Ruritan booth on Wetmore Drive. Leona Summers said people come from all over the fairgrounds just to get their fries.
The Ruritans, she said, are about supporting school programs and people in the community who need help.
Now, are you thirsty? At the Canfield Rotary booth outside the commercial building near Bishop Drive, bottled water sales support the Canfield Interact Club at Canfield High School. You'll also find information about First Night Canfield, a community New Year's Eve celebration; flags for sale, which supports the Rotary Club and Boy Scouts; and tickets for sale to a circus sponsored by the Lions Club.
On Boardman Drive, Zion Lutheran Church of Cornersburg is offering pop, water, lemon shakes and sno-cones. Pastor Dale Griffin said proceeds will go toward sending church youth to a gathering in San Antonio, Texas, next year.