Veterans enjoy traditional tribute at the Ashland County Fair on Monday

Two copper kettles holding 45 gallons each of specially prepared bean soup were just one of the ways Ashland County veterans were thanked for their service on Monday, which was designated as Veterans Day at the Ashland County Fair.

As part of the tribute, veterans could eat for free from noon-6 p.m. The menu included cornbread baked by the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center culinary students, who also helped blend the soup in the kettles and serve the meal.

"The veterans set us all up, and we came out to stir," along with making the cornbread, said Kathy Diederich, culinary careers management instructor.

"We're all volunteers," said Mary Ann Dull from the American Legion Auxiliary of all those involved in the endeavor of honoring veterans.

By 3 p.m. nearly 50 gallons of the soup had been consumed. Only four trays of cornbread out of 10 were left.

"It's not just dumping stuff in (the mixture)," said American Legion member Mike Hunt, who calculated seven different kinds of beans, three different cuts of ham, about 10 gallons of sauce and a very specific combination of spices cooking in the vats.

"They call it secret seasoning," Dull said.

Hunt, who served in the Army in Desert Storm and Iraq, said, "We started soaking the beans at 9 a.m. on Sunday, then came back at 10 or 11 a.m. to strain them, wash the kettles, rewash the beans and put everything in the kettles."

The recipe has changed slightly through the generations, he said.

Not yet sure of the numbers for this year, Hunt said 550 veterans were served last year.

Ronald Dull, an Ashland American Legion Post Commander for 17 years and an Ohio Legionnaire of the Year award winner, said he learned about the bean soup treat in 1986 at the Huron County Fair. In 1988, Dull, who served in the Army in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969, and associates cooked nine roasters of bean soup at the American Legion for the Ashland County Fair, before later coming up with the idea of purchasing the kettles.

The event in the Veterans Building has been put together every year for almost 40 years, said David Harry, by local veterans organizations including AMVETS, the American Legion, DAV and Vietnam Veterans.

"I've been doing this for 33 years," said Harry, an Army veteran of Desert Storm and the National Guard who calls himself "kind of a historian for the VFW."

He pointed out the Wall of Honor photographs lining the walls of the building, designed to honor or memorialize anyone in uniform from Ashland County.

As directed by Harry, the Ashland County Honor Guard stepped off from the Veterans Building for the Walk of Honor at 10:45 a.m. on Monday and proceeded to the Cheyenne Spidel Memorial Pavilion for the Veterans Service sponsored by Hospice of North Central Ohio. Noah Gangi from Hospice was the master of ceremonies.

Speaker Greg Gorrell, an Ashland High School and Ashland University graduate who served with the Ninth Infantry Division in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, recited the grim statistics of service men and women killed, wounded or missing in action from the wars and conflicts in which the United States has been involved, beginning with the Civil War.

"These numbers are staggering," Gorrell said, and must be added to all who have been impacted by "wounded hearts and wounded spirits."

"The cumulative effect in defense of freedom is almost beyond comprehension," he said.

"You are the patriots of this nation," Gorrell told the veterans gathered in the Pavilion, thanking them for "a job well done."

He was told by a friend the best way to thank veterans is by "embracing the freedoms they fought for and standing on and defending the moral high ground."

Gorrell encouraged them to "share your story with those you love," something he himself was unable to do for years, so that it will not be "lost forever."

Mary Ann Dull also expressed her gratitude to veterans for their "time, bravery and sacrifice for this country."

Another treat for veterans on Monday was the opportunity to sign up for a raffle held by the Old Uniontown Quilt Guild members whose quilts were on display in Mozelle Hall.

The theme of the quilts to be donated to veterans was "something patriotic," said Nancy Boyd, showing off a wall of quilts punctuated by red, white, and blue.

Thirty-one quilts and seven afghans was given to veterans.

Monday at the fair also featured dairy, sheep, rabbit and poultry shows; harness racing; and a small animal costume contest.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland County veterans honored at fair