'Our one proud moment': Manitoba fall suppers bolster community, organizers say

On a rainy night in Rosa, Man., a mountain of food is forming: more than 1,500 cabbage rolls, 1,700 perogies and 200 pounds of mashed potatoes.

Tray upon tray of fried chicken, two huge slow cookers full of meatballs and hundreds of pieces of pie.

It's all homemade, and it's all for tonight: Rosa's annual fall supper, one community's version of a time-honoured prairie tradition going back decades in towns across the province.

"It's our one proud moment of the year to promote the centre," said Robert Budey, who leads the board at the Shevchenko Ukrainian Centre, where the dinner is held in Rosa, about 75 kilometres south of Winnipeg. "It's tradition."

More than two dozen volunteers have been preparing for this year's supper since September, said head chef Lillian Pohrebniuk. She's been in charge of the kitchen since 1990, using traditional Ukrainian recipes handed down from her parents' generation.

The volunteers include Rosa residents, but also people from neighbouring towns and Winnipeg with ties to the area.

"They are so willing to help," she said. "That's what makes a community."

In Rosa, the traditional fall supper goes back to the mid-60s, when it was started to help raise funds for the community. Budey added it's still a key fundraiser for the Rosa hall.

In other Manitoba spots, it's older. Argyle, about 40 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, has held a fall supper each season for 137 years, including this year's supper in September.

"To me, it's keeping the community strong," said Tracy Dunstan, who helped organize the event. She's been involved in the Argyle fall supper since childhood, including this year's event, which drew its highest attendance ever at 823.

Dunstan said the Argyle organizers strive to use as many local vendors as possible, and the cooks rely on a handbook of recipes handed down from the original committee of organizers, the United Church Women.

"[We] had to sign a contract … that we would maintain, you know, the integrity of the event," she said, laughing. "I said, 'OK, well, we may have to buy the pickles.' Oh no [They said]. 'People come from miles around for our homemade pickles.'"

In the end, a United Church Women member held a pickle making workshop for the new committee, Dunstan added — and the pickles are great as a result.

'It really is the community'

In the past, the events were called "fowl suppers," but the name was eventually swapped out for "fall supper."

More than 400 people came out to Rosa for the small community's supper on Saturday. Budey said he thinks many came for the dance that followed, with live music played by Winnipeg-based Ukrainian band High Profile.

Ron Paley, a former resident of Rosa who compiled a history of the hall, said guests come from all over the place: from nearby spots like Emerson, Steinbach, Vita and Winnipeg to a group that drives in every year from Kenora, Ont.

"I love the music," said Michael Kohut, who drove in for the event from Thunder Bay, Ont. He's originally from the area and returns for the fall suppers. "It means a celebration, special celebration, [and] Ukrainian foods."

Donna and Peter Osadchuk's family drive in from Rainy River, Ont., for the event, too. The couple moved to Vita when Peter got a job at the town's school, and they'd never had a fall supper before.

"Every meal they cook, it's like they're cooking for five or six people," Peter Osadchuk said. "And it doesn't matter if it's … 100 people here or 500, it's always the same."

For Chantal and Derek Holowka, the event and the food bring memories of their wedding. They got married at the Rosa hall, and now they get to share the same meal with their five-year-old, Will, at the community event.

"It's great. It really is the community," said Derek Holowka.

'We are proud'

Other Manitoba communities draw over 1,000 diners. The event in Pansy, Man., can draw more than 1,500, Osadchuk said. The meal in Saint-Joseph, about 45 kilometres away from Rosa, draws roughly 1,000 people into the community of roughly 75, with French-Canadian cuisine including ragoût de pattes de cochon, a pork hock stew, and hundreds of tourtieres.

"We are proud," said Vivianne Remillard, who helps organize the Saint-Joseph dinner each year. "To me, my family is all involved … So it's always been a family gathering at the same time."

Looking into the future of her community's supper, Remillard said she's worried the tradition will fall away if more volunteers don't get involved.

"Not everybody's willing to give everything that you're willing to give to make this work," she said.

In Rosa, Paley and Pohrebniuk said they're hopeful efforts to recruit the younger generation will ensure the supper tradition lives on.

"I'd say [the future] is very strong," Paley said.

"I really cherish my volunteers. That's the most important thing," Pohrebniuk added. "Two pairs of hands aren't good enough."