LEYDEN — Due to a lack of participation, the Leyden United Methodist Church has decided to sell its booth at the Franklin County Fairgrounds.

The Leyden United Methodist Church booth has been a fixture at the Franklin County Fair, held each September, for decades. Emily Herron-Clark, a parishioner who chairs the church’s board of trustees, believes the church has been participating for more than 85 years.

“I believe it dates back to when my grandmother did the booth before I was born,” said Herron-Clark, 46. “It’s been there for quite some time.”

According to a 2017 Greenfield Recorder article, the Leyden United Methodist Church first sold food at the fair in 1937, when 10 members of “the ladies’ aid” planned to operate a concession stand. Their efforts brought a profit of $124 to the church’s benefit in their first year, when only a tent was used. Fred Steiner, who was president of the Franklin County Agricultural Society that runs the fairgrounds in 2017, said the booth was one of the last original ones at the fairgrounds and the oldest continually running.

The church has struggled in recent years to gather enough help, threatening the future of the fair booth, which, in turn, threatens the future of the church, given that the fair booth is one of its primary fundraisers. Herron-Clark mentioned they usually sell homemade meals like shepherd’s pie, mashed potatoes and meatloaf at the fair.

“It’s our primary means of supporting the church,” Herron-Clark said. “That’s a big concern, since if we don’t continue on with doing the booth, how are we going to financially support our church and remain open?”

Although the Leyden church does receive a lot of help and support from the community, such as the Bernardston church helping to run the booth on Fridays, Herron-Clark said there just aren’t as many hands as there used to be. Herron-Clark suspects this is due to a large number of people retiring. Although the Franklin County Fair usually runs from Thursday through Sunday, the Leyden church hasn’t been able to participate on Thursdays for the past few years due to low staffing. Herron-Clark serves as the main staff member on Saturdays and Sundays.

“It’s just been difficult to find staffing and to find people to come in and volunteer their time to help,” she said.

Luckily, Jesse and Amber Snow, the new owners of Marshalls Country Store in Bernardston, have expressed an interest in buying the booth. The two have already brought new life to the 1960s business since they acquired it in 2023, with the potential to do the same for the fair booth.

“I feel like we’re pretty positive about our decision,” Herron-Clark said when asked about her feelings toward selling. “I feel like Jesse and his wife will do a good job keeping on the tradition and building the legacy that’s already been there for so many years.”

Upcoming events

Upcoming events on the church’s calendar include a wreath-making workshop on Sunday, Dec. 1, at Town Hall. The first session will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the afternoon session is planned for 1 to 3 p.m. The cost is $30 per wreath (cash, check, PayPal or Venmo will be accepted) and participants are invited to bring accessories to put on the wreaths. No advance registration is needed.

Later in December, the Leyden United Methodist Church and Town Hall will open their doors to visitors for the Leyden Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those who are interested in selling their items at the craft fair can contact Herron-Clark directly at em_el_issa@yahoo.com.

Residents who would like to support the church with donations are encouraged to contribute via its GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/f/help-us-to-keep-our-doors-open.