The “Pine Cone Dinner”

We are well into our third year of Community Dinner events in Bayfield! Held once a month, these events are intended to be times when Pine River Valley residents can come together, enjoy spending time with each other, sample delicious food, and watch kids play. We look forward to seeing and catching up with neighbors we know, and we meet new people almost every month.

Nearly every dinner features an activity kids or families can do, such as making first aid kits or choosing and wrapping a holiday gift. Our leadership team chooses the activity as they plan the menu for the evening.

In February, we made pine cone bird feeders. Stations were set up for kids and parents to get to work. First, they tied string to the base of a pine cone. Next came the (somewhat messy) application of peanut butter. Then, they rolled the cones in tubs filled with bird seed and carefully lowered the finished feeder into a paper bag for the trip home. The youngsters caught on right away and had so much fun! Some joined with parents or adult friends to accomplish the task, but even one of our littlest gals said, “Me do it!”

If you want to make your own feeders, it’s easy. You can get a sense of how it’s done from our photos. The secret of success is to have all the supplies ready before beginning so you don’t have to run around with peanut butter on your hands. Make sure you have sturdy string or twine — yarn doesn’t work well. You’ll need knives for spreading peanut butter, and a good supply of bird seed. Tools for keeping things tidy are a must: pans, trays, and paper towels. Oh, and medium sized pine cones, which fortunately are in good supply in the Pine River Valley.

To find out when our next dinner is, check out the calendar. If you have questions or would like to volunteer, call us at 970-884-4747. And if you have an idea for a group activity, don’t hesitate to let us know.