Q: This Kansas town is famous for its annual Old Soldiers and Sailors Reunion. The annual event has been held continuously since 1873 and organizers claim it’s the oldest consecutively running reunion of its kind in the country. In what southeast town is this reunion held during the third week of July?
These days, more than 1,400 pounds of beans are cooked in more than 50 iron kettles on the courthouse lawn for the Old Soldiers and Sailors Reunion in Erie, Kan. To see more photos from the 2013 event, visit Sarah Bandy's blog, Memories Composed. (Photo by Sarah Bandy/Memories Composed) |
A: Erie
Erie, Kan., home of the oldest annual celebration of "Old Soldiers and Sailors" in the United States. (Flickr Photo by Jimmy Emerson) Erie, the seat of Neosho County, is a small town of less than 1,300 people. Since 1873, the town has been holding an annual Old Soldiers and Sailors Reunion. Organizers claim it’s the oldest consecutively running Old Soldiers and Sailors Reunion in the country! We believe them, mainly because we haven’t heard of any other reunions by this same name being held anyplace else!
This event, which brings lots of folks to Erie, includes a free bean feed. Salt pork and navy beans were a staple food for soldiers in the Civil War. So, several years after the war, it seemed natural to townsfolk to serve kettles of beans to old soldiers and sailors during these reunions. And soon, it became a tradition. These days, more than 1,400 pounds of beans are cooked in more than 50 iron kettles on the courthouse lawn. Rodeos, concerts, dances and other activities have been added to the free bean feed over the years. Sounds nice. Maybe the town of Erie isn’t so “eerie” after all! : - )
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