Vol. 43 No. 45 '
‘Cookery’ Holds Fond Memories For Berks Outstanding Farm Family
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
READING (Berks Co.) Wal
ter and Linda Ernst have fond
memories of the Reading Fair
when it was located at the Fair
grounds Mall north of the city.
They remember the taste of
homemade ham sandwiches, lamb
kebab, and the wonderful aroma of
fresh- baked apple dumplings com
ing from what is affectionately
known as the “Cookery.”
The Cookery, a tent featuring
the homemade treats of the nearby
Grange families, is long gone. So
is the location at the Fairgrounds
Mall, site of a department store.
The Reading Fair now, temporari
ly at least, is located at the Kutz
town Fairgrounds until permits are
granted to build the new Reading
Fair pole bam near the Berks
County Ag Center, Leesport
Despite all that, the Ernst family
still helps out where they can with
the youth shows at the Reading
Fair, still the site of some of the
area’s best home-cooked meals at
several Grange buildings (includ
ing Virginville and Kutztown) at
the Kutztown Fairgrounds.
For decades of service to the
fair, the Ernst family including
Walter D., Linda, and their child-
Secretary of Agriculture Samuel Hayes Jr., left, and Bill Hughes of Boscov’s, right,
congratulate Berks County’s outhstanding youth award winners, from left, Anita Man
beck, Brandon Treichler, and Lynette Heffner.
Berks County Applauds
Outstanding Farm Family, Youth
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
FLEETWOOD (Berks Co.)
Large problems will always loom
before us, but they have and will
continue to be solved by good men
and women, said Secretary of
Agriculture Samuel Hayes Jr.
Some of these good men and
women who are building a strong
agricultural base that in turn builds
a strong America were lauded at
the Berks County Outstanding
Farm Family Awards Banquet,
Wednesday night
Four Sections
ren DavicC Valerie, and Steven and
their children were honored
Wednesday evening as the Berks
County Agricultural and Horticul
tural Association (Reading Fair)
Farm Family of the Year at the
Fleetwood Grange Hall in
Fleetwood.
Walter and Linda Ernst rent land
from Walter’s father, Walter H.
Ernst, and operate 12 greenhouses
on about four acres south of Read
ing. This year the greenhouses are
home to about 24,000 poinseltias
for the upcoming holiday season
encompassing about 28,000
square feet, noted Ernst.
Walter D.’s pride and joy are the
ready-for-show purebreid Suffolk
sheep, including about 20 ewes
and four rams, boarded at the site.
Walter raises lambs for sale to
youth at several regional shows.
Walter himself has shown at the
Schuylkill County Fair (Walter
sold one sheep to Kori Morgan at
the fair, a purebred Suffolk that
was named champion, he noted.)
Walter himself has shown offspr
ing of his herd and the herdstock
itself at Kimberton, Goshen,
ScKuyikill, and Allentown fairs.
But most times the greenhouse
growing business for wholesale to
(Turn to Page A 36)
Held at the Fleetwood Grange
Hall, the 42nd annual banquet was
a gathering of those who work
together to make The Reading Fair
a successful attraction to both the
agricultural and the non-farming
community.
Each year a farm family is
named Outstanding Farm Family
of the Year. Qualifications require
that the family must be Grange
members and earn at least 85 per
cent of income from the farm.
Scoring is based on Grange partici
pation, other farm organization
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 12, 1998
For decades of service to the fair, the Ernst fa mi Walter D. and Linda,
pictured here, and their children David, Valerie, and Steven and their children were
honored Wednesday evening as the Berks County Agricultural and Horticultural
Association (Reading Fair) Farm Family of the Year at the Fleetwood Grange Hall in
Fleetwood. Photo by Andy Andrews
participation, civic and communi
ty involvement, and the farm oper
ation records.
This year, for the first time ever,
the farm family selected was not
the traditional dairy or crop far
mer. Instead, Walter and Linda
Ernst who operate a horticulture
business were named as the out
standing family for their dedica
tion in helping at the fair. (See
Ernst feature story on page Al).
After accepting the awa. J, Lin
da said that some in attendance
(Turn to Page A3B)
$29.50 Per Year
PAADS Exhibitors First
To Use New Tie-Stalls
VERNON ACHENBACH JR-
Lancaster Fanning Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The state Farm Show
Complex in Harrisburg is continu
ing to be improved and its latest
improvement is expected to espe
cially please those who exhibit
livestock and depend on tie-stalls.
About 350 letters were to have
been mailed out Friday to those
who registered to exhibit animals
at the 35th annual Pennsylvania
All-American Dairy Show (Sept.
21 -24) to inform them that they are
National Young
Farmers To Meet
OMAHA, Neb. December
provides a convenient time to get
away from home and learn about
how other young farmer organiza
tions work, collect your thoughts,
~ 600 Per Copy
to be the first to use a new system
of livestock stalls in the state Farm
Show Complex.
According to Dennis Grumbine,
Farm Show director, and state Sec
retary of Agriculture Samuel Hay
es Jr., many of the approximately
1,800 pieces of stalls arc to be
assembled, and set up in the Farm
Show Complex in lime to be used
by exhibitors at the annual
PAADS.
It is the first time the Farm Show
Complex has received new stalls,
(Turn to Page Al 9)
and gather new ideas for next year.
The 32nd National Young Far
mer Educational Institute may be
just the thing.
(Turn to Page A 34)