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Date: 8/18/2020
CHESTER – One of the popular events every year at the Chester Railway Station & Museum is the Hobo Harvest Dinner, usually hosted in October. This year, the event has been moved up to Sept. 19 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and will be a Hobo to Go curbside fundraiser.
The traditional menu of Trackside Beef Stew, Corn Pudding (a traditional recipe from the New Haven Railroad Cookbook), Rolls and butter, Homemade Apple or Pumpkin Pie will be packed and ready in containers for people to pick up.
“People can pick up the food and eat outside on the huge blocks of granite, or take the meals home,” said Chester Foundation President David Pierce. He said hobo reenactors from Storrowton Village and Hancock Shaker Village will set up a hobo camp on the lawn, and bring out the containers from the station.
Reservations for the meal must be made by Sept. 16. Prices are $10 for those 12 and over, $5 ages 5 to 12 and under 5 Free. These are lower than usual because no beverages will be available, Pierce said, and suggests bringing something to drink if diners eat outside, or picking something up at one of the local establishments.
Barbara Huntoon, treasurer of the Chester Foundation and a selectman in town, is the chief cook for the fundraiser along with other volunteers. She said typically, the meal would be served in the station. She said they will be practicing all of the safety protocols, and she is ServSafe certified.
Huntoon said several annual events which raise money for the non-profit Chester Railway Station & Museum had to be cancelled this year, including the Chester High School Alumni Association dinner and Chester on Track, which was held virtually on YouTube, but did not receive the revenue from crafters and other participants. They also haven’t been able to rent out the station for events like weddings and memorial services.
Pierce has been able to continue to rent out the 1919 wooden caboose, a camping site from one to four people that is now listed on the Glamping Hub, and normally brings in people from around the world who want to sleep in a vintage caboose and hike at the 1841 Keystone Arch Bridges or visit other local attractions.
Pierce said this year, reservations for the caboose have been more popular than ever, and the entire month of August is filled. The charge for camping is $50 to $69 per night, depending on whether the reservation is made through Pierce or online, he said.
The station is also now reopened to visitors, who come and learn about the history of the railway and the Keystone Arches from Pierce, who has been involved in their promotion and preservation work for more than 30 years. He said a long-term effort to have two of the abandoned Keystone Arches named as National Historic Landmarks, along with the station itself, will be considered on Sept. 2 and 3 by the Landmarks Committee of the National Parks System Advisory Board, who will then make a recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior.
The Chester Railway station is also included as a flag stop in the last three draft plans being considered for East-West passenger train service, another ten-year effort, Pierce said.
To place an order for the Hobo to Go dinner and get payment details, call 354-7878 or email dave@chesterrailwaystation.net. Patrons are asked to pay in advance and will be issued an ID document to print out with name and order information. Simply present this document upon arrival and your packaged order will be given no-contact to you in your vehicle by a hobo reenactor.
“I hope people will sign up. It’s a good home-cooked meal. We really appreciate anyone who patronizes us because it really helps,” Huntoon said. She also shared the vintage recipe for the corn pudding, with her notes in parentheses, because the original has no oven temperature, cooking time or size of pan listed.
Pierce called it “the thing that we love that we only get once a year.”
Corn Pudding (from New Haven Railroad Cookbook)
Makes 24 portions
• Cut enough corn from the cobs to fill 8 cups or use equivalent amount of canned corn (drained well-BH).
• Chop the corn kernels fine (I use canned and a food processor-BH)
• Combine the corn with 6 slightly beaten eggs, 1/3 cup of melted butter, 1/3 cup of flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 4 cups of milk (whole is best-BH).
• Pour into buttered (I use cooking spray-BH) baking pan (9 x 13) and bake at 325 until firm (about 30 minutes or until top is golden brown-BH).
• Let cool a bit before cutting into squares.