The Meyersville Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) held its annual stew fundraiser on a chilly and drizzly Saturday morning, February 22. Meyersville is located east of U.S. Highway 183 and about 14 miles south of Cuero. The fire station is conveniently located across from the quaint Meyersville store, with the eye-catching large yellow sign of Isaac Egg's Son Coca-Cola sign. The Egg family once raised turkeys and transported them to the Cuero market during the inaugural Turkey Trot in 1912.
For $12, patrons could purchase a pre-sale ticket for a quart of piping hot, savory beef stew, a dish that has become a cherished tradition over the past six or seven years.
“This is stew season. In the past, we had barbecue chicken for like 15 or 20 years to pay for our trucks,” Bruce Gohmert said.
“This money (from today’s fundraiser) is to keep our trucks going,” he said, noting that while they receive payment for fire calls, the firefighters themselves are volunteers and do not receive compensation for their service.
Currently, the department operates two brush fire trucks and one tanker.
“Brush trucks can carry three to four hundred gallons of water, and the tanker holds a larger amount. It acts like a nurse truck for the brush trucks,” Arlen Seiler added.
Today, the department has 20 to 25 active members, totaling approximately 60 members when including those who are non-active. Seiler recounts the fire department's history, which spans over 50 years, beginning with its founders: Charles Gohmert, Edgar Dohmann, Chester Bettge, Ralph Egg, and Gerald Wendel.
“They started with just one truck,” he said.
Preparations for the stew start the previous day by chopping vegetables. The recipe passed on from Fred Diebel, who died in 1945, contains beef shoulder roast, basic potatoes, onions, carrots, bell pepper, and celery.
“Then, there are some other extras, like sweet potatoes and apples,” Seiler added, going into more operation details.
“We got seven kettles of stew cooking, and there's like 36 pounds of meat in each kettle, 25 pounds of potatoes. I believe it's 15 pounds of carrots and then onions and bell pepper, “he said, hoping for a good turnout.
Sieler looked around at the assembly line ladling stew into quart containers.
“You see some of these guys are starting to get a little age on them. We welcome anybody in the neighborhood who wants to join and can help out,” he said.
The Meyerville Volunteer Fire Department is looking for new volunteers! They hold monthly meetings on the third Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the fire station. Each meeting begins with a shared meal, and hosting duties rotate among members. Last month, they enjoyed Bush's Chicken, and in the past, they've had barbecue, tamales, ham, and chili. For more information, please contact Arlen Seiler at 361550-9230.
