Mendon's Old Folks Reunion ~ Index
Mendon, Utah as well as many other towns in Cache Valley, held each year in late winter, usually in February, a ward dinner and program to honor the "Old Folks" of the town. Middle aged adults would be in charge of the dinner and the youth of the mutual aged groups would do the serving or catering. Various old timers would have the overall charge of the day, but the ward and the youth were the groups that put the dinner and reunion on. It was a free dinner, as there was no cost involved to the Old Folks, something of which they could really appreciate.
In Jasper Lemmon's short personal history, he is noted as having charge of the overall event for a period of time. The pink ribbon shown here is Isaac Sorensen's 'Ribbon' from the 1899 gathering of the Mendon old folks. An event such as this served to both honor the people who dug the ditches and laid out the roads of our town, but was a way for the youth of the town to learn of and to know these people better. A method of moving the history of the town down a generation or two, hopefully to preserve it. The reunion of 1899 was high times here in Mendon, Utah. We were now a state, for some three years, and we were building the new red brick 1899 portion on the town school, onto the front of the older 1880's rock school. Improvements were being made and we along with the other towns were spreading our wings and working to fulfill the new requirements, being a state required. It was a good time to live and be in Mendon.
Some of these Old Folks events were still going on in the latter 1960's, but by the early 1970's they were discontinued for the most part. I served at a few of these meetings or reunions as a teenager. I think that when we got to having bishops that were not originally from the town or ward, that they did not understand the useful service this provided. It is as important to be served, as it is to serve. This provided a method of doing both, plus it kept alive some of the now forgotten history of many people and places. We seem to lose our history to the connivance of our times.
I know that Isaac Sorensen and the other men who were still alive during this time frame, were most pleased to be so honored for their efforts to make a home and settle a place where none was to be found prior. It was an event that was looked on for with much anticipation, winter was long and home entertainments were the only bright spot in the post Christmas time frame. This dinner tied in nicely with George Washington's birthday and a patriotic spirit was evident. Of course this is long before the joint "Presidents Day" we celebrate now on a Monday.
The event and dinner were at first always held in the old rock church, until the cultural hall was built in the newer yellow brick 1914 church, which was in the basemnt or lower level. The ones I remember were in the current 1964 red brick church gym or recreation/cultural hall. The few years it was held in the new building, with a working kitchen were the best for everyone involved.
I miss the event and was saddened to see it removed from the yearly calendar of ward events. For so many years the smaller communities of Cache Valley were single wards, Logan being the major exception, and as such a ward was the town, and the town was the ward. There was very little distinction between the two. Mendon, Utah remained a single ward, which then included Petersboro, until 19 November 1978. Now there are six wards and Mendon even has its own Stake. Something I believe many of the old folks, thought would never come.