A Slice of Americana

Boalsburg, Pennsylvania celebrates Memorial Day with "A Day in Town"

A Slice of Americana

Boalsburg, Pennsylvania celebrates Memorial Day with A Day in Town

A patriotic cheesecake for the holiday that marks the start of summer

Memorial Day traditions in Boalsburg date back to 1864 when three young women visited the graves of loved ones killed in the Civil War. They placed flowers on the tombstones and pledged to meet at the graveyard next to the Zion Lutheran Church the following year.

Today, those ladies could quench their thirst after their memorial service at the popular Boal City brewpub adjacent to the cemetery. Times do change.

The cemetery behind Zion Lutheran Church

Monday’s events started with a cannon blast at 8:30 am from Civil War re-enactors stationed along the fringe of the military museum grounds to signal the start of the Memorial Day Run.

Parade of pies delivered to the judging table and checked in by Darlene Bachmann

Between 9 and 10 pies were delivered to the judging stand for the annual pie contest. Vendors lined Main Street with handcrafted items ranging from woodwork and jewelry to soaps and souvenirs interspersed with food trucks and carts with coffee, sandwiches, and kettle corn. Intermittent showers kept the crowds down this year and boosted attendance at the stunning quilt show held at St John’s Church.

Quilts are displayed in the upstairs room at the church, where Donna and Pat Mahoney from New York City and Pierre and Pascale Chaveriat from Brittany, France admire the works of art.

With French visitors staying at an Air BnB around the corner from our house, there was pressure to celebrate the holiday with a down-home American cookout at the end of the Day. Friends joined us and helped to provide all the classics—Deviled Eggs by Nina Morgan, Cole Slaw by Joann Dornich, Baked Beans doctored with sauteed onion and bacon and a little ketchup and brown sugar, Donna Mahoney’s rendition of the New York Times French Potato Salad, and burgers and hot dogs grilled to perfection by John Corr and his associate overseers, Pat and Pierre.

Cookout with American classics and a retro Mexihot.

Since our local Meyer Dairy sells the chili topping that graced the dogs at Pop’s MexiHots in downtown State College, we recreated that delicacy after getting some long-distance coaching from Ed Epstein in Colorado, one of Pop’s main customers. He recalled that the bun was spread with yellow mustard, next the hot dog, then chili sauce, and finally, very finely minced onions, which we made fancy by adding red to the white.

Pascale and Pierre Chaveriat brought what the French people do best—interesting and tasty wines, including one from Lebanon. Pascale also delivered a tray of strawberries piped with whipped cream and topped with a blueberry. Since our countries share the same colors, the red, white, and blue theme was raging. I devoted my morning to making a cheesecake because Pascale had been trying to track one down during their week in Central PA. Dorie Greenspan’s Tall and Creamy Cheesecake recipe from the NYT was detailed and made the perfect example—though I held my breath and wouldn’t talk to anyone while concentrating on the baking.

The cheesecake was a process but the result was perfect. We glazed it with local yogurt mixed with honey and Donna arranged the fruit in an American flag pattern.

Experiencing the Boalsburg festivities with veterans over the weekend gave me a new perspective. Pat Mahoney, who retired from the US Air Force, and Pierre, who served in the military in France, had little to say as we walked through the exhibits. It was humbling to think of all the sacrifices. Even more so when we visited the grave of Brandon McCombie, a State College native lost on a training mission in 2002. Brandon was the son of Ryan McCombie, who was hosting his daughter’s wedding over the weekend, which is why the Chaveriats were in town.  

While touring the 28^th Pennsylvania Division military museum on Saturday, we learned all about Pennsylvania’s role in the armed forces since William Penn's time. The Pacifist Quaker who founded our state realized that there must be a defense and a voluntary group called The Associators repelled invaders.

Thanks to those who served, and deep condolences to those families that suffered the ultimate loss. There’s more to the Day in Town celebration than pie, quilts, and a cookout. There is deep appreciation and remembrance.

A reenactor checks her messages