Half Moon Park was packed with food stands for Kernel Days this weekend. Many groups with ties to the community used the annual event to raise funds.

Included in the list of vendors was the United Methodist Church, which uses its food stand to serve a Saturday morning breakfast, then pork chops on a stick, nachos and homemade bars and cookies. The proceeds are used to support the youth mission trips, buy school supplies for local children in need, supplement the Sunday school program and after-school programs and assist the church with the costs of adult Bible study and other programs.

Karen and Don Stenzel, chairpersons for the United Methodist Church’s food stand, were grateful to be a part of Kernel Days.

“Even if we don’t make any money, we are very appreciative for the fellowship. Even if we touch one life with our efforts, it will have been worth it,” Karen said.

For more than 25 years, the Women of the ELCA with the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church have been conducting a food stand during Kernel Days. They have raised funds for World Hunger Relief, Mission World (with their sister congregation in Tanzania), and have produced handmade quilts they donate to St. Peter Hospital, sometimes with the help of Thrivent Financial. The ELCA’s homemade pies, ice cream and coffee are always a hit with the crowd.

The members of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church also do their part in raising money for the needs of their church, which includes updated sound systems, stocking a food shelf, helping the mission committee focus group, and helping with church debt relief. They serve hamburgers, cheeseburgers and pop.

In the past they have managed to raise more than $2,500 during this busy weekend.

“We have some good folks who stop here to eat and a lot of generous volunteers who help with this activity. It makes for a lot of fun and great fellowship,” Carol Aske said.

St. Casimir’s Catholic Church members served the popular taco-in-a-bag, fresh-made mini-doughnuts and beverages. On Friday night, they served popcorn, which was a big hit with the crowd.

Event chairman Roger Koziolek said they used the proceeds to fund an annual trip to Honduras, which is attended by 13 Wells area students and four youth from the Plainview area. They team with the Rev. Emil Cook (originally from the state of Kansas, but who now lives in Honduras) to help out with construction needs, painting, repairing housing units for single mothers and just spending some quality time with the orphans.

“It’s fun to see our kids interact with people from a Third World country,” Koziolek said. “Our children see how other people live and come back from their trip seeing things very differently.”

He said they hope to raise $3,000 from their efforts and are anxiously hoping to meet their goal.

The Wells Area Jaycees offered roast pork sandwiches, pork hocks and hot dogs at their food stand. For many years they have participated in Wells Kernel Days and even added a beer garden to this year’s festivities. Their profits go to support local children’s projects, including the Junior Miss scholarship program, sandbox fills, baby-sitting clinics, clothing drives for needy groups and even to support the Santa letters written by area children at Christmas time.

Jaycee spokesman Ryan Feist said, “This has been an excellent year with beautiful weather. It’s been one heck-of-a weekend for this event.”

For the past 23 years, Wells Area Troop 41 Boy Scouts have made homemade onion rings, french fries, cheddar nuggets (aka cheese curds), and served ice-cold pop on this special weekend. The Boy Scouts also kept busy doing clean up during Kernel Days. With the assistance of Good Shepherd Church, their fundraising allows them to pay for camp and equipment fees for scouting camps. Sixty percent of the money they raise goes to the Boy Scout activities and the other 40 percent goes to troop expenses and equipment needs. Scout treasurer Mark Dundas is appreciative for the efforts of leadership predecessors, like Jerry Zabel, who established the troop in the 1970s and continues to support the program.

The Wells Lions Club conducted bingo games at the shelter house of Half Moon Park. It drew many people, who enjoyed sitting in the shady building.

The organizer for the Half Moon Park food stands, Zoa Heckman, who has been an active part of the Kernel Days committee, was pleased about the participation of all the nonprofit groups from Wells.