The Hamburger Stand
by Linda Berry
In 1987 we started running the Hamburger stand. It was a bad year as it rained all three days. Water came rushing down across the courtyard into the Hamburger Stand. We had electrical cords plugged in for fans to cool Juanita Hendricker, who was cooking on the grill, and Paul Simmons, who was frying the fish. We were lucky no one was hurt.
On Saturday of the Show the former president of the Show, George W. Waters passed away. A very good brother and gentleman. He left behind a very wonderful woman, Millie. He was president for five years.
In 1987 we got permission to clean out the building on the west side of the barn for the Hamburger Stand as we didn't have mcuh space where we were. Charlie Hendricker, Bernard and I and Gene Lemons, plus several others who I can't remember the names, threw away lots of junk too bad to keep. We finished it and opened up at 4:30 a.m. on September of 1987.
We served coffee, biscuits and gravy, bacon, eggs, sausage, donuts, orange juice, and milk. Lunch consisted of hamburgers, chips, pie, coffee, RC cola and candy.
September 1990 we lost another member, our son Johnny N. Fisher. He helped his brother, Don, and uncle George on with the train tracks.
Bernard stopped cooking hams in 1992. We continued with the Hamburger stand. Bernard's last year was 1993. He enjoyed it very much, both cooking the hams and working in the hamburger stand. He passed away June 13, 1994. On August of 1995 our last son, Donald, a member of Prairie Land, passed away.
I worked one more year and then quit. I had a lot of good help. I dedicate this to the memory of George W. Waters (1915-1986), Johnny N. Fisher (1964-1990), William B. Fisher (1924-1994), Donald E. Fisher (1952-1995).
The Hamburger Stand was then ran by Our Redeemer Lutheran Church Day Care, 1996; Penny Ore, 1997; and South Jacksonville Fire Department, 1998-present.
The cooking of the Hams was started in 1983 by George Waters and Bernard Fisher. They made a cooker for eight hams, cooked them all night Thursday, and had BBQ pork ready to be sold in the kitchen at noon on Friday. In 1993 WIlliam Smith cooked them and in 1994 Marty Cockrill took over and is still cooking.
|