Soup’s On
The first McClure celebrations were held by a group of Civil War veterans who included making bean soup as part of their regular gatherings. The event grew through the years with the addition of a midway and other attractions, but the soup remains the focus.
For more than a century, a Pennsylvania town has celebrated the lowly Navy Bean Soup
By Nancy Luse
Maine has its lobster fests. In Wisconsin, the town of Ellsworth hosts the Cheese Curd Festival, and every September New Orleans celebrates Beignet Fest as visitors brush powdered sugar from their clothes and enjoy the pastries with chicory root coffee. A no-brainer theme for a fair in Buffalo, New York, is the National Buffalo Wing Festival held each Labor Day weekend.
McClure, a Central Pennsylvania borough north of Harrisburg and a little over two hours from Frederick, is not to be outdone. With a population of fewer than 1,000 residents, McClure hosts the state’s oldest festival with a stirring (sorry) tribute to bean soup, making and serving countless bowls of it every September since 1891. This year’s celebration is Sept. 7-13, marking the fair’s 134th anniversary.
“It’s a fun and unique experience and the organizers do a great job with it,” says Erin Ohlfs of the Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau.
The first bean soup celebrations were held by a group of Civil War veterans who included soup making as part of their regular get togethers. They even served hardtack—a simple, durable cracker—secured from the War Department to round out the meal. In 1891 the general public was invited, and the crowds continue to this day, partaking of traditional fair activities but with the added bonus of seeing soup being made as a salute to McClure’s history.
Sixteen 20-gallon kettles warmed by a wood-fueled battery of furnaces contain the soup, which is stirred using long wooden paddles during shifts lasting two hours and 20 minutes, the time required to soften the dried navy beans that are cooked in a simple recipe along with beef, salt, and spring water.
But the fair is about more than soup.
For the competitive folks, the fair offers a number of contests aside from bingo and spinning a wheel to try and score a cake, including recognition for being the best maker of ice cream. Contestants bring all the ingredients and while the ice cream is judged by quality and taste, a separate contest for speed is held for the hand-cranked entrants.
Other culinary contests include finding the best chili, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and chocolate cake among the entries. There’s also a milk chugging competition and the “Baby Bean Photo Contest” to determine the cutest youngster under the age of 2. A similar contest is held for pets. Also contributing to the small-town feel of the festival is a sack race, water balloon toss, corn-shelling contest, and cornhole tournament.
The McClure Bean Soup Festival boasts all the attractions of a typical county fair, but making this event unique is the bean soup that is stirred up right on the spot and offered to visitors.
Every county fair needs its royalty and in McClure a queen, princesses, and tiny tots are crowned to rule over the festivities and ride in the parade along with marching units, bands, and floats.
As long as you’re in the area, take time to enjoy this neck of the woods, which is full of opportunities for fishing, hiking, boating, and kayaking, either in a lake or the Susquehanna River. Another attraction is T&D’s Cats of the World, a wildlife rescue organization where you can view the animals.
The visitor bureau’s Ohlfs also recommends staying the night in Selinsgrove, home to Susquehanna University. “It’s a college town with good restaurants, shops, and boutiques,” she says. Wineries are also nearby. But before taking off for other activities, fortify yourself with a bowl of soup. www.visitcentralpa.org