November 1, 2008- Madison, NH

Join us on Saturday, November 1st at 5:30 pm for the 143rd annual Madison Church Donation. This event is a dinner of oyster stew or corn chowder, followed by a fancy cake auction. Cake will also be served for dessert, along with coffee.

Here's a brief history of the event from the November, 2000 issue of Yankee magazine. Note that prices for the stew and chowder have most likely gone up since then.

MADISON, NEW HAMPSHIRE Wicked Old Church Supper

For nearly 40 years, Wilbur Meader and Lee Drew have drawn disciples with their generations-old recipe for oyster stew. The tradition has its roots in the 1860s, when the congregation of the Madison Baptist Church exchanged sustenance from their larders for their minister's sermons. When he requested a salary, the Madison Church Donation Supper was started. The event has changed little since then. After all are sated with stew, dessert, and folk songs, attention turns to the Fancy Cake Auction of pastries ranging from ornate gingerbread concoctions to sweet fruit cakes.

ESSENTIALS: 5:30 P.M.; $3.50 for oyster stew, $2.50 for corn chowder, seconds on the house. James Noyes Memorial Hall, Madison Elementary School, Rte. 113. 603-367-4705.