CLARKS SUMMIT — A myriad of people lined up inside the Clarks Summit Fire Hall from its lobby to its hallway on Saturday, Dec. 9, waiting to go through the doors of the dining area in order to get cookies at the 11th annual Holiday Cookie Walk, held every second Saturday of December.
A wide variety of homemade cookies, including sugar cookies, Snickerdoodles, Russian tea cakes, were placed on red, green and white tablecloths and were up for grabs at $8 per pound. The Cookie Walk is the primary fundraiser of the Clarks Summit Fire Co.’s Joseph W. Hall Memorial Auxiliary.
“We appreciate the support of the community,” said Karen Bevard, the auxiliary’s president for six years.
Laurie Fletcher, a member of the auxiliary for four years, helps with the cookie walk by placing cookies on tables the night before. She also hands Styrofoam trays for customers to put their cookies in on the day of the walk.
“This is a great fundraiser,” she said. “We get a lot of support from people donating cookies.”
The cookies were baked and brought by members of the fire company, members of the auxiliary, and members of the community.
“It’s a community event,” said June Burns, a member of the auxiliary. “We have a lot of people who bake who are not members (of the fire company or auxiliary).
Carolee MacDonald, both a member of the fire company and the auxiliary, baked butter cutouts, soft oatmeal raisin cookies, soft chocolate chip, fudge oatmeal bars, chocolate cherry chews, spritz cookies, and Hungarian nut cups.
“I love to cook and bake,” she said. “I make my list the week before. I shop a couple days before. I make all the batter in one day. The next day, I just bake everything. I have five cookie trays and a double oven. Cleaning up is not my favorite.”
Many cookie walk-goers returned again this year. Clarks Green resident Rose Ann Aveline has been coming to the cookie walk for five years.
“I don’t have to bake,” she said. “They (cookies) also make nice Christmas presents.”
Richard Howells and his wife Theresa purchase many boxes of cookies every year to take to a Christmas party hosted by Theresa’s aunt Martha McAndrew, who resides in Clarks Green.
“It’s convenient,” Richard said about the cookie walk. “We don’t have to bake.”
The cookie walk was also a hit for young children as well. Seven-year-old Rose Morrison and her 2-year-old sister Maeve, of Clarks Summit, enjoy their favorite cookies. Rose’s favorite is sugar cookies and Maeve’s favorite is Christmas cookies shaped like trees.
“There’s ones with a rose on top of it,” said Rose, who likes those cookies since of her name.
Hank Nakowski, a volunteer of Clarks Summit Senior Living, came to the event dressed like Santa and offered candy canes to the children.
“This is my time to donate to the cookie walk,” he said. “If they (auxiliary) need me next year, I’ll come back again.”
