BELLE FOURCHE—A slice of pie and a cup of coffee have become a fall tradition for the Center of the Nation Business Association and a way of saying thank you to the ag community at Belle Fourche Livestock Market. This year that gratitude event was on full display September 24.
The small gesture has been going on for well over 15 years as a way to thank the ag community for coming and doing business in Belle. “We do this to thank the buyers and sellers in the ag community at the sale barn for coming to Belle Fourche,” said Stacey Raisanen, CONBA board member. “We want to show how much we appreciate everybody that comes to Belle Fourche.”
The cattle industry has deep roots in Belle Fourche, and the Belle Fourche Livestock Market continues that tradition today. The market has long been an important part of the local agricultural economy, with its regular Thursday sales bringing producers, buyers and others involved in the cattle industry to town. “Randy Curtis told me years ago that the Belle Fourche Livestock Exchange brings a lot of money to Belle Fourche and they don’t get recognized. So I told Stacey that, and boom, Stacey came up with this idea and it’s been going ever since,” shared Laura Bennett, CONBA.
To prepare for the event, CONBA purchased 15 pies from local bakers. “We bought pies because we are supporting the businesses,” explained Raisanen. “We bought pies from Red Onion Marketplace and Colonial House.”
CONBA members came and went throughout the day to help serve pie and coffee and visit with neighbors during the afternoon. “We have about 12 dozen slices of pie. We had 15 pies—some were eight slices, some were 10,” shared Raisanen.
Choosing which slice may have been the hardest decision of the day. Flavors included chocolate cream, banana cream, Reese, sour cream raisin, coconut cream, apple, peach, pecan, pumpkin and strawberry rhubarb.
There was vanilla ice cream and whipped cream to top the pie. “Lueders donated the ice cream and whipped topping,” shared Raisanen. “This is the first time in two or three years that we’ve asked them for a donation, and that is because we’re trying to conserve [enough money] for at least through the Easter egg hunt… we’re strategizing what we can do.”
Enough business flows through the sale barn that CONBA had no doubt that all of the pie would be gone by the end of the day. “We will [run out]. If we don’t, we just leave it for them, and it goes like that,” said Raisanen.
Look for CONBA’s next event, the annual Halloween Parade and costume contest down State Street!
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