ELSMORE — The smell of simmering beans and smoked pork drifts through the air each September during Elsmore Day. For many in this small town in southeastern Allen County, it’s the heartbeat of the celebration. At the center of it all are Gary Henderson and his son, Mark, who carry on a tradition rooted in family, community, and a lot of hard work.
Mark, who now lives in Neosho, Mo., makes the drive home to Elsmore every year to help his father with the bean feed, just as he’s done since childhood.
“I grew up doing it and I’m still doing it now at 30,” Mark said, pausing briefly from stirring the embers beneath the large kettles. “I come back every year to participate.”
Together with a handful of volunteers, the Hendersons prepared nearly 200 pounds of beans with 75 pounds of pork for the community at Saturday’s Elsmore Day festivities. The process still honors the old ways: cooking over wood fire rather than gas. The Hendersons say the smoky flavor makes all the difference.
“It basically feeds the entire community,” Gary said, smiling as he gestured toward the steaming pots.
THE FEED, sponsored by the local Ruritan Club, requires weeks of preparation and long hours of labor. Large kettles, racks, and paddles — many built or repaired by Gary himself decades ago — are hauled out and set up just days before the festival. In the early years, the city of Moran loaned equipment, but as those old pots wore out, Elsmore had to purchase its own to keep the tradition going.
Gary, a lifelong Ruritan member, learned the ropes from older community members who once oversaw the feed. Today, at 92, his father Martin is recognized as the oldest charter member of the club. Though no longer able to help with the cooking, Gary has since passed the skills and responsibility down to Mark.
“It’s nice that you can pass that tradition down,” Gary said. “That’s what it’s about.”
The Hendersons recall a time when there was a need to cook as much as 350 pounds of beans. Though attendance has declined in recent years, the feed still draws a hungry crowd. Within 15 minutes of serving, the kettles are usually empty.
The work doesn’t stop with cooking. Friends, neighbors, and even vendors from other parts of the festival step in to help serve, stir, and clean up. “None of them are members of the Ruritan,” Gary said. “They’re just members of the community, and they enjoy doing this.”
ELSMORE DAY also featured a full schedule of activities throughout town. The parade included a Salute to the Armed Forces. Kids’ games took place on Main Street, where children took part in a cupcake walk, sack race, zombie eye toss, pick pocket tag, and ping pong toss. Older students joined in a tug-of-war, barrel races, water challenges, and balloon games. A baby contest and a horseshoe tournament also took place. By 1:30 p.m., residents gathered in the Community Building for bingo, while outside, cornhole boards were set up.
For the Hendersons, Elsmore Day and the bean feed are about more than food. It’s about preserving a way of life, remembering those who came before, and giving back to a town that raised them.
“I enjoy it,” Mark said. “It’s stressful, sure, but it’s important. It’s tradition.”
As long as there are hands to stir the kettles and people to gather around them, the Hendersons plan to keep the fire burning and the beans boiling, just as Elsmore has done for generations.
