The 45th Annual Lake Fork Community Center Sale to be held this Saturday, March 31st

[March 29, 2018]    The Lake Fork Community Center, located four miles southwest of Mount Pulaski on State Route 54 in Lake Fork, is gearing up for the 45th Annual Community Sale and Pancake and Sausage and Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast this weekend.

The breakfast will begin at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday and food will be served all day until 4:00 p.m. Sausage sandwiches, pronto pups and chips are also available out the back window of the community center during the sale.

The sale will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and will feature everything from machinery and antiques to trucks, furniture and personal property. Consignments are being taken all week.

The meat sale is going on right now in the upstairs of the Lake Fork Community Center. Sausage and pork chops are popular items for sale.

Whole slabs of Pork Spare Ribs and Pork Fresh Side (uncured bacon) are also popular cuts of pork available for purchase in Lake Fork this week and the day of the sale. 

Also available all week will be items from the Pork Sale and Cheese Sale. Customers can stop in and visit the upstairs of the old school house to purchase these delicious goods.

On Saturday morning, a bake sale will also be taking place inside the building. The breakfast will be served in the basement of the building.

A 50/50 drawing is also a popular fundraising effort held the day of the sale. The proceeds from the sale are always used in the upkeep of the community center, which is also rented out throughout the year for various activities and family reunions.

Several generations have been involved in the sale for decades and the Stewart name is just one of many familiar names involved in the success of the sale. Richard Stewart of Lake Fork is the current president of the Lake Fork Community Center and he was in charge of the sale for over 25 years. His brother, Delmar, is now very active in the annual sale.

The men of the Lake Fork Community Sale ~ from left to right: John Hein, Glen Bryson, Kenny Stewart, Leroy Ramthun, Delmar Stewart and Richard Stewart. 

Delmar Stewart, who has been "just a man in charge of the sale since 2012", says, "If the Good Lord and Mother Nature work together, we will be alright. We are just hoping this is a good sale this year. We are looking at the weather but it's been this way every year. People say if you don't have any mud, it's not the Lake Fork sale. It looks like the weather will be in the 50s so we'll take that."

According to Delmar Stewart, the first Lake Fork sale took place in 1974 and was "across the road in Oglesby's pasture." The sale was then moved to its current location on the old Lake Fork school property.

"A few years ago we bought more property. I think it was 1.3 acres and we thought that would be enough. But it wasn't enough. We're probably sitting on five acres now and we still haven't got enough room," he laughed.

So get your boots out and bring your wallet and your appetite to Lake Fork on Saturday. Get there early to get a good parking spot.

"We are looking to have anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 people," said Stewart.

A little mud never stops those in search of treasures.

[Teena Lowery]