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Melody Weaver sells donated pies.
Melody Weaver sells pies donated for the sale. Shoo-fly pie is a favorite! Photo: Jeff Mininger

Mennonite Relief Sale

Relief sales are organized by Mennonites in communities around North America as a special way to raise funds for needy people around the world. The Virginia Relief Sale, to which over 1,000 people donate time, is held annually on the first Saturday in October. Beginning in 1967 on the Wenger farm in Augusta County, it has become a community event, not unlike a huge family reunion. Since the inception of the Virginia sale, it has raised almost $2.5 million for world relief. Moved to the Rockingham Fairgrounds to accommodate the growth of the event, the Sale showcases high-quality handmade quilts, artwork, handcrafted furniture, which are auctioned, along with antiques and farm tools. Homemade treats such as fresh donuts, bread, rolls, cakes, pies, cookies, candy, fresh fruits, and applebutter are sold. Various handcrafted items, needlework, and plants and flowers are also for sale. Besides demonstrations of applebutter "boiling," and the grinding of fresh corn meal, attendees can watch a quilting bee in progress. Documentation includes a report, photographs, a newspaper clipping, promotional brochures, a financial report from the 1999 sale.

Originally submitted by: Bob Goodlatte, Representative (6th District).



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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.

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