In Sedgwick County Fair’s 68 years, one thing hasn’t changed

Back in 1947, the Sedgwick County Fair looked a little different than it does today. In the beginning, there were no 4-H showings, the carnival fit on the infield of Cheney’s baseball diamond and the number of patrons totaled about 1,000 each year. Today the fair, which runs through Saturday, offers monster trucks, prize-winning bulls and country singers.

Over the past 68 years, however, one aspect of the fair hasn’t changed: the original two food booths.

Trinity United Christian Church in Cheney and Cheney United Methodist Church have been doling out meals for fair-goers since long before the days of corndogs and funnel cakes.

“Back in those days, they were in tents in the mud,” said Linda Ball of Cheney United Methodist.

“We think we’re roughing it but they were really roughing it.”

Since then the booths have moved indoors, adding the luxury of food warmers and sinks to the operation. Cheney United Methodist is still serving the same chicken and noodles, a favorite since the 1940s, as well as new items like taco salads and tostadas. Trinity United Christian has changed its menu several times over the years, moving from original sandwiches to fried chicken to its current best-seller, bierocks.

The two churches have had to adapt over the years. After expanding in the 1980s, the fair began to attract more patrons. Annual foot traffic has increased from 1,000 people to 20,000 people, making food preparation a full-scale operation.

“We start making things months in advance,” said Paula Both, head organizer at Trinity United Christian.

The day before opening, the parishioners are hard at work hauling in crates of cucumbers, cases of tomatoes and bags of onions. By the time it’s all chopped, peeled and dressed, they will have made enough for about 1,500 servings during the four-day run.

It’s the bierocks that took the most time for Both and her troops. In one day, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 25 parishioners made 1,358 bierocks. It requires a lot of hands, but according to Both there’s no shortage of help.

“We’ve got kids, young men, and women of all ages that come down to help,” Both said.

“I just think it’s really a great fellowship time for our church to work together.”

United Methodist’s famous chicken and noodles also are made in advance.

“We take two days where we start at 7 a.m. to make the chicken,” said Cheney United Methodist chairwoman Donna Symes.

Symes said by the end of it all, they will make over 1,400 servings of chicken and noodles.

“And we run out every night,” she said.

Chicken and noodles sells for $6 for a large bowl and $3 for a small bowl. Bierocks are $4.50 each. The fair is the biggest fundraiser of the year for both churches, helping pay for most of their operational costs.

It wouldn’t be wrong to assume there’s a rivalry between the two longest-standing booths, but according to Both, all competition is friendly.

“Of course there’s always something there,” Both said.

“But members from our church support and eat in the Methodist group as do the members of the Methodist church in our booth.”

For the two original food vendors, the fair is a place of mutual support and encouragement for the people of Cheney.

“I think it’s a great thing for our community that we have the Sedgwick County Fair here,” Both said. “It’s nice to have people come into town and see all that we do.”

“Everybody is working for the community,” Symes said.

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 7:59 PM with the headline "In Sedgwick County Fair’s 68 years, one thing hasn’t changed."