FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Dan & Reva’s Soup Bean Dinner - OCTOBER 12TH, 1994

     Saturday, October 8 was a beautiful, sunny autumn day, a perfect day for Dan and Reva’s annual soup bean dinner. Reva said the day before she had approximately 41 pounds of beans ready to cook. Dan said he soaked the beans overnight and built a big fire under the old black, iron kettle about 6:30 Saturday morning. He said he got the beans boiling really hard then he sort of pulled the fire back from the kettle and let them simmer.      

     The dinner was scheduled to begin around 11am and folks came and went as the day wore on. 

     Most came with a dish of something good such as; homemade beet pickles, cucumber pickles, mom’s apple dumplings or a fresh homemade cake, cornbread and numerous other dishes. Ice cold drinks were provided. 

     Reva said this event had been ongoing since the early 80’s. She wasn’t sure when the first one was held. Dan and Reva are wonderful people and such a pleasure to visit. Reva had a guestbook for everyone to sign and we counted approximately 150 people who had signed it. Of course several got by and didn’t sign so we figured they had fed well over 200 people. Charlie and I (Bonnie) went and ate and had a good visit with everyone. We left around 3:30 or 4pm and other folks were still coming in. Thanks Dan and Reva for a wonderful time! 

….Oh Yes! As people left, Dan gave them an official membership certificate reading, “Certificate of Punkin Center- Mt. Olive Gas Company Makers”. It stated that each person who attended the dinner was an honorary co-owner of the Punkin Center and Mt. Olive Gas Co. and was signed by Daniel Mays, CEO and President of said company.