By Helen Coronato
The Accidental Cowgirl
The Aladdin Homemakers are one of three remaining homemaking groups in the state of Wyoming. With a rich history that dates back to the 1930s, groups such as this have sought to be a source of support, education and creativity to area women and a resource for community members. Luckily for me, they also feel strongly about pie.
The yearly pie social is one of the fundraisers the Aladdin Homemakers host to raise funds and awareness for projects near and dear to their hearts. On average, 75 people visit the Aladdin Community Hall during this event to purchase and enjoy homemade pies with flavors ranging from lemon meringue to rhubarb to cheesecake. Supporters can buy a slice, an entire pie, or, as I was lucky enough to do, mix and match pie slices to create a dessert platter that made me the most popular person in the house when I came home that night. There are no set prices as monies are raised by generous donations.
The organization started as a way to help socially connect young homemakers while offering advice on canning, child rearing and housekeeping. Today’s meeting are just as pertinent and educational, and may also include hobbies and interests such as stationary making. Interestingly though, homemaker groups such as these find that the members in attendance are predominantly of the grand-parenting age, with younger mothers opting for mailbox membership. Working, soccer schedules and numerous other obligations have made it more challenging to increase attendance. After spending time with the knowledgeable, friendly “senior” members of the Aladdin homemakers, this seems most unfortunate.
Yes, you can learn to can, cook, clean and create stationary from two minutes of video on You Tube. Yes, it seems like we are busier than ever and taking time off to visit with friends and neighbors offer coffee, cookies and a guest speaker isn’t a priority. But I wonder how mush more satisfied we women would be if we took time to stop and smell the roses; or in this case, stop and bake some pies.
I for one am on a mission to find out and will be sending in my annual dues of $10 to officially become a “homemaker.” Not only will this be an excellent opportunity to connect with more women, it may also turn out to be my best pie-baking year yet.
For more information about the Aladdin Homemakers, including membership and upcoming projects, please contact current President Susan Rice at ricenmor@gmail.com or 307-896-9131.
4 comments:
The Aladdin Homemakers are indeed a busy bunch of active ladies. In December they took time out of all their Christmas activities for a carry-in tea party for a member who was recovering from heart surgery. They make cookies as good as their pies.
It's organizations like this - working behind the scenes with little fanfare - that help to make the world a lovelier place, for sure! And cookies to boot! Awesome :)
I belong to the Aladdin Homemakers. We have diverse interests and the best part of our monthly meetings for me is Roll Call. Each lady has an opportunity to respond to the same question, such as, "tell us about a Halloween experience". I enjoy hearing the different personalities, backgrounds and current news from each member.
What a great ice-breaker Susan! Thanks for sharing! I hope more women in the area check out the great organization :)
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