Oyster & Pork Supper Celebrates 150 Years In Carversville

CARVERSVILLE, PA — A Bucks County foodie tradition continues this weekend when the Carversville United Church of Christ opens its doors for its 150th Oyster and Pork Supper on Saturday, Oct. 11 beginning at 3 p.m. and served until sold out or 8 p.m.

"While the menu may have changed slightly over the years, the experience of eating a family style homemade meal with friends, neighbors and new acquaintances remains," said dinner organizers.

This year's mouth-watering menu includes lean, moist roast pork and gravy, lightly fried fresh oysters, stewed tomatoes, creamed corn, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, applesauce, and desserts. The sides are served family style. Tickets are $27 for adults, $15 for children ages 5 to 12 and free for children under five. The cost for takeout is $30 (cash or check).

The church, located at 3736 Aquetong Road, has been a part of the local community since 1837, enduring many ups and downs. Today many village churches are closing, eliminating not just places to worship but places to build community, to bring neighbors together that might not otherwise meet. The Oyster & Pork Supper is a celebration of community and the church’s major fundraiser. Monies raised at the supper contribute to operating expenses, helping the church to stay open, to support its members, the community, and mission-related activities.

The supper, which began in 1871, originally featured just oysters and local sides. At that time oysters were plentiful and inexpensive - not the luxury they are today. The price for the supper was just 50 cents a meal. The menu eventually expanded to include pork, for the landlubber, a variety of locally sourced sides, and desserts made by the community.

On the Thursday before the supper, a pie making session is held, warming up the church ovens for the big event on Saturday. The pie crust is a recipe handed down from Margery Livezey, the grandmother of this year’s lead organizer, Brad Livezey. By the end of the night racks of apple, cherry, and pumpkin pie are waiting to be eaten. But preparations for the supper begin much earlier than that with planning sessions, and the processing of local crops, such as the corn, donated by Nonesuch Farms. Generations of families and friends gather in the church kitchen to ensure that this tradition and the CCC continue into the future.

In the early days of the supper, church members prepared most of the food at home but today most of the work is done on the church premises. The congregation built an addition to the Fellowship Hall in 1950 to house a commercial kitchen. This kitchen has also been used as an incubator for local businesses looking for a place to get started. In 1986 the church purchased an acre of adjacent property for the purpose of parking so that the prior parking lot could be used to create an education/administrative wing. These spaces support the activities of other local entities including Boy Scout Troop 64, the Carversville Historical Society, and even the Carversville Inn.

On Friday, 400 pounds of potatoes are prepped, and the gravy is started, pork scraps, bones, carrots, celery, and herbs which cook overnight. Then in the wee hours of Saturday morning the oysters arrive, direct from Washington State, purchased from E. Frank Hopkins & Co. Inc. Stored in a refrigerated truck, each oyster will be triple dipped in a secret recipe of dipping sauce and bread crumbs, then stored for frying when the dinner begins.

Pork roasts from Haring Bros. in Doylestown are prepped and put in the ovens to slowly roast. Handwritten recipes on index cards are carefully passed along from lead organizer to lead organizer. A small army of volunteers that makes the supper happen comes and goes throughout the day. This year the 5th generation of Livezey’s will be old enough to start pushing dessert carts under the watchful eye of their grandfather, Brad.

In addition to the supper, diners can purchase chances on a king size quilt, hand appliqued and quilted by the CCC Quilt Squad or visit the Craft Room for local crafts and baked goods.

The 150 years of the Oyster & Pork Supper has seen hiccups, cancellations due to fires and pandemics, and struggles due to an aging church membership. This year, the feast continues, made possible by many volunteers.