Crockpots full of critter casseroles

a sign of the times, oh, where have the fish fries gone?

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2009/02/08//news/porter_county/doc432c5a8f82fdc98e86257556007c8769.txt

Northwest Indiana Times (munster)

Men hear the call of wild
BY HEATHER AUGUSTYN
Times Correspondent Sunday, February 08, 2009

VALPARAISO Crockpots full of critter casseroles lined four banquet tables at the second annual Wild Game Banquet at Valparaiso's Faith Evangelical Bible Church.

The Friday night event, organized by church leaders, was a way to bring together men in the community who have an interest in wild game and hunting. But for Valparaiso sixth-grader Nicholas Keleman, trying one of the squirrel pot pies, barbecued goose on a bun or venison Hungarian goulash was much more wild than he could stomach.

"There was nothing I wanted to try, except the mashed potatoes," said Keleman, whose classmate, William Hartman, was a little more adventurous.

"I like the venison meatballs. They're pretty good," he said, eating at a table decorated with tree-stump candle holders, a camouflage table cloth and pinecones.

The event also brought out taxidermy specialists, meat processing businesses and conservation officers who set up tables to educate the crowd of about 200.

"This is something we felt as men would be good to do for the church. We have a lot of hunters in the area, and three-fourths of the men in this room don't go to this church, so it's a nice draw," Associate Pastor David Wade said.

Senior Conservation Officer Shawn Brown, who is also an elder at the church, said it is a great way to bring the community together.

"We get together as men, share a meal and share the message of Jesus Christ," Brown said.

The event was funded in part by donations from area business, whose shotguns, rifles and tree stands were raffled off.

One unique item donated for raffle was from 18-year-old David Cieply, whose family attends the church. He gave one of his handcrafted fine writing pens, the barrel of which was made of deer antler.

"My grandfather has a workshop in his garage, and I've been making them since I was 14 years old. I like to make them from materials that have a story behind them and have made them from a fallen tree on the grounds of the Supreme Court that are now sold in their gift shop, from one of the wood doors at the Memorial Opera House in Valpo, and out of timbers of an old road found near Meridian Road," Cieply said as he showed his antler version to attendees.
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