Swiss Day, June 30, 2024
1:00 p.m. at First Mennonite Church, 101 S. Jackson, Bluffton, Ohio

Please bring a hot and cold dish and your own table settings. All are welcome. ALL!

By Kaye Phillips

The first "Swiss Day" I attended was in the later 1970s. I was a student at Bluffton College and working under Dr. Delbert Gratz at the Musselman Library on campus. After his invitation, I ventured into Marbeck Center on a Sunday afternoon to find something very special. It was the start of my love for this tradition.

We may have changed our location for Swiss Day over the years, with many gracious hosts, but with all of us pulling together, we hope that next year we will have our banquet at our Bixel/Basinger barn, repurposed into our beautiful Heritage Center.

As I was shopping yesterday for items for our potluck, I reminisced about the early years. I wondered if our founders would believe the progress we made over the years. What should I cook or bake to add to our celebration? What would be worthy and could I ever bring that Swiss flair to the dishes?

A ham was purchased, a bag of potatoes, cheese and milk to make what I consider to be the closest to Lorena Hochstettler Leedy's scalloped potatoes with ham recipe. (Lorena was the Bluffton Elementary School's head cook.) Ingredients for yeast dinner rolls. Also, I purchased butter to make herb butter. (I learned how to use garden herbs to make herb butters at a workshop at the SCHS, 25 years ago.)

Also, I needed to purchase cooking oil to make our family version of "nothings." I always try to make this treat as delicious as my grandma Kathryn Bame Gerber, great-grandmother Emma Kiener Gerber or great-aunt Lucille Gerber Hochstettler. My mom, Margie Gerber Closson is always my taste tester. If time allows, I will also make a pie.

If that doesn't have your interest, I would love to see what others are bringing.

If you cannot attend, but want to add funds to help finish the Heritage Center please contact Julie Stratton, 419-302-0369, [email protected].

Or send checks to:

Swiss Community Historical Society
PO Box 5
Bluffton, Ohio 45817

We also have a Paypal Account for electronic tranfers. We are a 591(c)(3) charity. Any gift, big or small helps.

Hope to see you at Swiss Day!