A spaghetti dinner and Chinese auction held April 26 at St. Ann’s Church raised over $8,800 for the Dick Sturdevant family, Ridgebury residents whose barn burned down in January.
    That barn, built in 1881, was the center of operations for five generations of Sturdevant farmers. An early morning blaze on one of the coldest days of the year reduced it to ashes and killed 120 head of cattle. The cause of the fire is still undetermined by the Pennsylvania State Police fire marshal.
    The benefit was organized by a group of friends and neighbors.
    “We’re not any particular group,” said volunteer Jerry Anthony previously. “It’s just the community looking to do something.”
    The menu for the dinner was of tossed salad, spaghetti with meatballs or sausage, Italian and garlic bread, a dessert buffet, and beverages. A Chinese auction was held simultaneously, featuring a wide variety of items from furniture to gardening supplies to foodstuffs.
    According to figures provided by volunteers, they served well over 600 dinners, raffled off 97 baskets, accepted contributions from over 120 sponsors, and sold off every item donated for the auction.
    The Bentley Creek Wesleyan Church also donated $700 after it agreed to match $1 for each person who attended.
    A number of local residents contributed to the event in a different way, singing songs and playing music to entertain the crowd throughout the day.
    Gayle Sturdevant, Dick’s wife, said Thursday that she thought the turnout for the benefit was “fantastic.”
    “I was there all day. I was the greeter,” she said. “It was so wonderful to see everybody working together.”
    Both friends of the family and strangers alike traveled great distances to attend the dinner.
    One woman who used to drive past the farm when visiting her sister even came up from Florida just to attend this benefit.
    Anthony reported that it wasn’t only individuals who made the event a success.
    “Just about every single organization around helped us out,” he said, adding that a large number of businesses had donated as well.
    Gayle Sturdevant reported that the money raised will most likely be used to start rebuilding the destroyed barn, and the family may buy a few heifers as well.
    “It’s really hard when your whole life goes up in smoke,” she said. “We’re just grateful for all the support we’ve gotten from the entire community.”
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    Amanda Baird may be contacted at amandabaird@morning-times.com.