Rosalie Currier Sturgis Journal There will be several food opportunities at Saturday's Experience Sturgis festival and three have direct ties to historical Sturgis residents. |
Biscuits Maybe you've heard about Ardillacy Sturgis and biscuits. Apparently, the pioneer woman learned that necessity is the mother of invention, and when she wanted flour in the wilderness, she had make it herself. When Ardillacy first arrived in the area, history books say she got some corn from neighboring Indians and ground it into meal by scrubbing it across a homemade grater. When Ardillacy wanted buckwheat flour, she ground the buckwheat in her coffee grinder. If she would work so hard for cornbread and buckwheat pancakes, maybe biscuits were a snap. At least Gov. Lewis Cass appreciated her effort. In fact, he was so impressed that when it came time to name the settlement, Cass suggested calling it Sturgis, after Ardillacy's biscuits, historian Robert Hair wrote. Ardillacy's baking ability made the name Sturgis a winner, and local residents will have a chance to win on Saturday. The question is, can all the modern conveniences produce a mouth watering biscuit equal to Ardillacy's? Biscuits vying for the title of "Ardillacy Sturgis Biscuits" can be entered into a bake-off contest at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Corner Cafe. The winner will be announced at the 11 a.m. Tea Perle Skirvin Mesta was born in Sturgis in 1889. By the time she died, she had earned respect around the world as the "Hostess with the Mostest." Any other quality hostess is second-fiddle to the Sturgis native. The family moved away from 407 S. Nottawa St. when she was 6 and history states Perle's father made money on Texas oil and then built hotels in Oklahoma - even during The Great Depression. When it was time to get married, Perle snagged a wealthy steel manufacturer who was almost twice her age. When he died, the 36-year-old widow took over the MESTA Machine Company and became politically active. In the 1940s she earned the title "Hostess with the Mostest" by entertaining the upper crust of Washington. Soon after, Perle was appointed Ambassador to the Duchy of Luxemburg from 1949-1953. During her years, she apparently entertained 25,000 servicemen and women stationed in Germany and France. She had them over for American favorites like hamburgers. In Perle Mesta's style, high tea will be served at St. John's Episcopal Church at 2 p.m. Saturday. Pie "Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy?" While it's a hard connection to verify, the Sturgis Historical Society showed Sharon Matkin and Rebecca Reeg an old picture with a Cherry Pie Queen in a Sturgis parade. No one knows if that was a one-time crown or what, but there will be a cherry pie bake-off as part of Experience Sturgis. Entries are due by noon Saturday at Lifehouse Books & Gifts. The winner will be announced at 2 p.m. |
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