A year after Covid-19 altered the approach to the annual Goehner Spaghetti Feed, the crowd was back in abundance March 6 in the Seward County community.
For the 65th time, the Goehner Volunteer Fire Department hosted the fundraising event, which this year drew about 1,420 people. Fire Dept. President Jesse Meinberg said two years ago, the event took place just before public events were shut down because of the pandemic.
Last year, he said the department sold just its signature sauce and sold out mid-afternoon that day.
“We're just glad that everybody's been able to come join us and get back to normal,” he said. “The first people walked in to get in line at 10:15 (a.m.) and we had advertised to start at 11.”
Marvin “Peewee” Schulz, who has attended the event each year, said the first spaghetti feed was a fundraiser for the fire hall.
“We had 400 people the first time … at $1 a plate,” he said.
The lure of the annual event was evident when a blizzard one year forced many of the preparers to drive tractors in to town to get things started.
“We still fed 1,000 people” he said.
Another long-time fixture at the event was Steve Eberspacher, who has helped in some fashion since he joined the department in 1971. He estimated there are 80-100 people – some representing several generations in families – that help the feed run smoothly.
From his spot taking tickets as people entered the dining room, he said he has met a lot of both local people as well as those that come from a distance.
And some that have big appetites.
“One year, I served a guy seven plates of spaghetti,” he said. “It's always been fun and I still enjoy it.”
