The annual community harvest dinner held this year at Scandia Evangelical Covenant Church on Nov. 20 was a huge success. A traditional Thanksgiving menu, featuring ham and turkey and a variety of delicious covered dishes from the kitchens of church members was enjoyed.

During the evening, a plaque was hung next to the fireplace in fellowship hall that explained how each of the stones had been brought in by church members in 1979, the year of construction. In this way, each family made a significant contribution to the fireplace and chimney. Several folks in attendance related how their children, some 35 years ago, had searched for just the right stone to bring to Church for this project.

Donald Hagberg was the principal stone mason, and he was assisted by Chris Jimerson and Ernest Sandin. The wooden mantel is a hand-hewn log beam donated from the hay barn of Charlie and Minnie Spetz. Dick Campbell, long-time commissioner of Warren County, who was chairman of the Scandia congregation in the late 1970s, related interesting experiences about the construction, including the presence of the native stone cross inserted above the mantel. Pastor Jon Meyer of Scandia Covenant Church offered a dedicatory prayer, and Willy Ackin photo-recorded the event.

A detailed record of this fireplace project was written by Williston Birt at the time of construction, which his wife Gladys recently found among his papers. His words were recently inscribed on a plaque, which was hung that evening beside the fireplace, so that its history will be remembered. Willy Birt’s quote ends with, “This is another of God’s blessings given to our Church.” Willy, a longtime member of the Scandia Church, died in 2011.