| St.
Mary’s/Holy Cross Annual Dinner and Raffle Set for this Sunday
This Sunday, February 8th, the St. Mary’s/Holy Cross annual parish dinner and prize drawing will take place from 11 am to 4 pm at the Keuterville hall. Roast beef, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy top the menu with green beans, a fruit cup, tossed salad, and delicious homemade rolls and desserts rounding out the meal. All this comes at a steal—only $7 for adults, $3 for 1st through 6th grades, and kindergarten and younger eat free! Bingo games will be played all day on the stage, and the raffle drawing for 34 prizes will begin at 4 o’clock. So get out of the house this Sunday and take a drive to Keuterville. The scenery is fantastic, the food is hearty, and the fine company can’t be beat. We’ll even meet you at the door to welcome you in and take your coat! Hope to see you there! History of the Keuterville Hall It’s time for the St. Mary’s/Holy Cross Parish dinner again, and no doubt that starts many minds thinking of past Keuterville dinners. Those memories may include cooking potatoes in Father’s garage, playing Bingo in the same room where the pies and cakes were being prepared on the stage, and cramming a dozen or more people into the basement kitchen for the remainder of the meal preparations. The reminiscing of people who helped at those dinners for many years probably ends with a prayer of thanksgiving for the easily accessible bathrooms, the spacious kitchen, and extra dining area that the Keuterville Hall now possesses. 
The vast majority of the faithful crowd who fill the Keuterville Hall every year for its annual fundraiser of course remember these vast improvements. They may, however, be surprised to learn that the dinner to be held this Sunday, February 8th, is already the 22nd parish dinner to be served within the walls of the hall in its current state. In reality, a dwindling number of people in the community probably remember or know of how the walls of Keuterville Hall have changed since the early days, but fortunately for us, a priceless history was preserved by Mrs. Teresa (Ed) Uptmor in 1988. Though the entirety of Mrs. Uptmor’s history is a treasure, we only offer brief highlights to note how far the Keuterville Hall has truly come. *The oldest section of the current hall was originally the first Catholic church in Keuterville, called St. Peter’s Mission, and measured 26 x 36 x 16 feet high (according to Pioneer Days in Idaho County: Vol. 1 by Sr. Alfreda of St. Gertrude’s Monastery). *With the passage of time and the building of a larger second church, Sacred Heart, the old church was used for school classrooms and as a sort of town hall meeting area. The old church/school/hall was also enlarged, and a slide down partition separated the two classrooms in the hall. *Plays were big money makers in the early part of the 20th century and were usually followed by dances. Fathers Jerome, Martin, Michael, Verhoeven, and Ryan (on his first assignment to Holy Cross) all directed plays. Before a new stage was built, actors actually used the old alter step as a stage. *The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin was responsible for building the stage (circa 1922). *At this time, young people entered the Sodality in the eighth grade and remained members until they married or moved away. *Initially the stage had sliding doors; these were later replaced by heavy drapery curtains. *Up until about the 1950s, the hall was referred to as the Sodality Hall; it only came to be known as the Keuterville Parish Hall later, when rent was charged for its use. *The hall was moved to its present location in about 1945 to make room for the proposed rectory which was erected just to the north of where the hall had been situated. *The rectory was completed when Fr. Dulberg served as resident priest (July 1947-May 1948). The debt was paid off in 1952. * During the 50s, holding bazaars with dinners were a popular way of raising funds. Until 1954, when a new basement kitchen was built beneath the stage under the direction of Fr. Casby, the dinner crew had to set up a kitchen on the stage each year—without the convenience of running water!! *The basement kitchen was completed in time for Mr. and Mrs. B. H. and Mamie Luchtefeld’s Golden Wedding Anniversary (February 20, 1955). This event marked the first time rent was charged for the use of the hall--$10. *1963-rest rooms added at the both the church and hall.  *1973-oil
furnace installed in the hall to replace two wood burning stoves, one located
at either end of the hall.
*1979- 4-H Community Pride Grant and proceeds of the parish dinner allowed for remodeling of the hall. New windows, steel siding, paneling, texturing of the ceiling, walls and woodwork painted, floors sanded and varnished, stage converted to meeting room, cupboards installed for storage, old sliding partition door for classrooms removed, and gravel around the hall building were all completed at this time. *1982-new well drilled. *And finally in 1987 began the work for the kitchen addition which was finished in time for the Holy Cross Parish Dinner of 1988. Beyond the kitchen, dining area, and restrooms, an insulated basement was also put under the restrooms to protect the plumbing, provide a place for hot water tanks, and a future new furnace. The old part of the hall even benefitted from a new foundation at this time as well. *Since this last major renovation, smaller improvements have been made from time to time as the needs arose and the funds became available. How far we have come from putting together a makeshift kitchen every year to having a fully functional and spacious kitchen in which to prepare delicious homemade dinners! So as you drive to Keuterville this Sunday, your mouth watering at the thought of all that homemade goodness, let your mind wander back to your first memory of Keuterville Hall. And then, after you’ve enjoyed your meal, take a good look at your surroundings and try to envision years past. Do you know where the two wood stoves in the hall stood? How about the classroom partition? Share your memories with the people sitting next to you and spend an afternoon swapping stories. The dinner is open for business from 11 am to 4 pm, and we hope to see you there. |
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