Church fundraiser done in style
Church fundraiser done in style
Carmel Reformed Church youth group's meal has side of classic cars
CARMEL — Poodle skirts and Elvis Presley songs were back in fashion Wednesday at Carmel Reformed Church.
It’s true that Presley may always be in fashion to some degree, but the skirts are kept in reserve for the church youth group’s annual Fifties fall fundraiser. The warm late-September evening was ideal for an outdoor event in the unincorporated community northwest of Sioux Center.
Kelly VanKekerix is wrapping up a three-year stint as youth group sponsor. The church has been doing these themed nights since at least the mid-1990s, according to the history book that was passed down to her. She said there are around 45 high schoolers in the youth group.
Coney dogs, chips, and root beer floats were available for a free-will donation. The food servers wore sharp red aprons and paper hats like those worn by Fareway meat counter workers until recently. Delivery to a car was an option, although unlike the carhops of yore, this to-go innovation was a byproduct of COVID-19.
Jared Terpstra delivered meals on wheels — roller skates. He said he refereed a roller rink in high school, and although he hadn’t skated for five years, “it’s kind of like riding a bike.” He grabbed another root beer float and glided off to serve it. He and his wife, Rachel, are first-year youth group sponsors.
The fundraiser is also a mini car show. Members of the Sioux Center Classic Cruisers Car Club bring their vehicles to show off every year.
John Griffioen’s gray 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air fit the theme of the evening. He bought it 20 years ago in Kansas City and restored it. All the paint is original except around the dashboard. It has an extra that’s exceptionally rare for the period — air conditioning.
Brian Vanden Brink’s 1968 Dodge pickup was restored about two years ago, “but it took 22 to get it there.” This is the only event he brings it to. David Steurwald had something a little newer, a 1987 Corvette: “I do run around a little bit.”
The classic cars are Sioux Center junior Averi Huizenga’s favorite part of the night. She said that as a “social butterfly,” she gets assigned to take orders at tables. “I like being able to socialize with the older folks.” She said they’ll see the cars or hear a song and say “oh, that brings me back” and Huizenga gets to hear a story. She likes the skirts so much she’d enjoy a themed day for school spirit week.
Money from the fundraiser goes toward supporting the youth group on summer mission trips. Previous trips have been to Jacksonville, Florida, and the state of Mississippi, but no decision has been made yet on next summer’s trip. The spring fundraiser is a taco night with silent auction. The youth group also volunteers at the Banquet, a Sioux Falls nonprofit serving meals to those in need.
There was one very late addition to the event. Sioux Center freshman Kole Wolfswinkel fetched his grandfather’s early 1950s Farmall Super C and drove it in to take its place alongside the classic cars.
“There’s a parking brake!” a fellow youth group member said as Wolfswinkel tried to get the tractor to stay put at the edge of the concrete.
Rock and roll.
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Love this! I'm sending it on to my mom in Goldfield. I have a poodle skirt I pull out for special celebrations. (I'll bet your mom, Judy, can't imagine me in a poodle skirt! Certainly not my style when the two of us were growing up in Goldfield, IA in the 50s and 60s 🐩 😁) The Methodist church in Goldfield is having a potluck tonight to welcome their new minister. I doubt whether folks will be sporting poodle shirts at their potluck. You never know, though.