Pie-by-the-slice auction slated; Hebron Town Hall museum open house dates announced

By Kim McDarison 

The Bark River Woods Historical Society will be hosting its annual “Old-Fashioned Pie Social,” according to a recent news release. 

The event will be held Sunday, May 1, at the Hebron Community Center, N2313 County Trunk D, which, society president Olive Gross said, has a Fort Atkinson postal address, but is in the community of Hebron. 

Before the pie is auctioned, a plated barbecue lunch will be served at noon. 

The cost of the lunch is $5 per plate, Gross said.  

The fundraising event has taken place in similar form since its inception in 1976, Gross noted, although in 2020, the fundraiser was not held, resulting from a need for precautions due to COVID-19. 

Last year, some COVID-19 precautions remained in place with the event held indoors and society members donating ready-made pies to be auctioned by the slice. 

This year, she said, the tradition of offering homemade pies will resume. 

Pies are offered with ice cream and a beverage for the single auctioned price, the release noted. 

The pie-by-the-slice auction will begin at 12:45 p.m.  

How much might a slice of pie cost? Well, Gross said, that just depends on its popularity and who’s there. Slices, during past events, have gone for anywhere between $5 and $20 each. 

Last year, she said, the event attracted some 40 people and the minimum price for a slice of pie hovered around $20. 

The society made $2,000, she said, adding that it was the most the fundraiser had ever made. 

“Everyone was just glad to be out and they knew we missed out in 2020, so they were happy to be accommodating and buy the pie,” Gross said. 

According to Gross, some 20 to 25 pies will be cut into slices for auctioning. After the auction, any left over pies are sold by the half or full pie. 

“Everybody goes home with plenty of pie,” she said, adding that the event has never run out of pie. 

In an interview last year, Gross said: “Typically the fundraiser makes between $1,300 and $1,500, but last year (2020) we lost all that because we couldn’t have it.” 

Monies collected at the fundraiser are used to support the Old Town Hall, located in the town of Hebron, which is 9 miles east of Fort Atkinson along Highway 106. The Old Town Hall, W3087 Green Isle Drive, serves today as a museum, featuring artifacts from the communities of Hebron and Cold Springs. Funds are also used to support society programming, Gross said.

Museum open house 

Additionally, the press release announced, the society will hold an open house at the Town Hall Museum in Hebron on several dates, including June 26, July 31 and August 28. Each open house will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. 

“The museum has a wonderful assortment of artifacts defining the history of the towns of Hebron and Cold Spring, and the surrounding area,” the release stated.  

Admission is free, but a donation at the door is appreciated. 

The museum also is available for touring by appointment. To make an appointment, contact Gross by email: gross622@gmail.com or by phone: 920-563-4773.

An online history about the society and museum notes that the society was formed as a bicentennial project by a group of retired teachers from Hebron and Cold Springs after the area’s former country school became part of the Fort Atkinson School District. The Town of Hebron purchased the school and “moved its business there.” The building also houses the Hebron Community Center. 

The Old Town Hall, built in 1902, was leased and eventually purchased by the historical society and is today on the National and State Register of Historic Buildings. 

Artifacts found within the museum include memorabilia and genealogies from pioneer families, as well as some history revolving around the Wintermute Circus. 

For more information about the Bark River Woods Historical Society, visit its Facebook page.