A busy weekend of events included the 75th annual Booya which was held on Sunday September 12th at the Knights of Columbus Hall. For those not familiar with Booya, the traditional dish most closely resembles a stew made of ham and beef with vegetables in a rich tomato broth. Cooking of the Booya begins the day before with the hundreds of pounds of cut vegetables added to the cooked meat to simmer for hours over a wood roasted fire. Firefighters and volunteers tend the Booya thru the night and when it’s time to start dishing it out, over 1200 gallons will disappear cup by cup and for some in 5 quart ice cream pails. We talked to Booya lover Eddie Duffing who stood in the line with a stock pot to be filled.
The hall was packed with people who saved chairs for family and friends while bidding on meat raffles and listening for their numbers to be announced. The man with the microphone also introduced a special guest, Pat Fox, who took extrordinary measures not to miss this day.
Yes, Pat has been at every Booya since it began 75 years ago. And a little hip problem was not going to keep her away. The money raised from this event benefits several community endeavors throughout the year and it’s all hands on deck when it’s time to fill up the Booya pots and do it again next September.
