Ramp Dinner - 2005 - Raleigh County, WV
43rd Annual Pine Knob Ramp Dinner
April 2005
By Judy Turner Griffy
The Pine Knob Ramp Dinner has been held annually since 1963. It was started by the ladies of the Delbert Freewill Baptist Church as a way to raise funds for things needed at the church. It has always been held at the the Annex building to the church on Drews Creek at Naoma, Raleigh County, West Virginia.
The first dinner didn't attract very many; but through the years, it has grown steadily to the point that the ladies cannot accommodate much more growth. We have had celebrities attend, as well as a Governor of WV. Every election year, the place is over run with politicians and their workers. Thank goodness for volunteer helpers. We have folks who come back year after year, and they come from different states. We cannot advertise because we couldn't handle more people at this point. Those who come like to spend the whole day there and just visit.
This year we cleaned, washed, and cut up 23 bushels of ramps. We used between 300 and 400 pounds of potatoes. We sold approximately 500 dinners. The menu consists of pinto beans, fried potatoes, bacon, ramps, cornbread, drink, and dessert. We sell homemade hot relish by the pint; and there are always old fashioned stack cakes for sale.
The Ramps are dug in the mountains on Drews Creek by local help. When the new method of getting coal by mountain top removal (MTR) advances to this area, then I suppose there will be no more Ramp Dinners because the ramps will be destroyed during the process; and it would be too expensive to go somewhere else away from here to get them.
The following photos were taken by Linda Gilfilen Lively and her daughter Tammie.
