Garaway Athletic Dept. carrying on Swiss Festival fritter tradition

While cheese might be the king of the Ohio Swiss Festival, for many people a trip to Sugarcreek to visit this special event Sept. 26-28 wouldn’t be complete without visiting the apple fritter tent next to the main square.

A fan favorite since the inception of the Swiss Festival, the fritters were on the verge of disappearing a couple years ago, but the quick thinking of local leaders helped save the day, and the fritters continue to be a staple of the festival.

The apple fritters had been an undertaking of Sugarcreek First Mennonite for decades, but with the church population aging, making it more difficult to take on this effort, the fritter kingdom teetered on the edge of extinction.

However, Swiss Festival Committee leaders met with Garaway High School Athletic Booster Club leaders, and the two groups formed a pact that would assure these morsels would go on.

“The Swiss Festival Committee asked us if we would like to take on the apple fritters as a fundraiser,” said Chip Amicone, GHS athletic director. “So we purchased the equipment. The church gave us their blessing and has been very gracious in showing us everything there is to making apple fritters.”

Now in its fourth year, the athletic department works hard to fill out the volunteer schedule with athletic team members, staffs, parents and other volunteers. First Mennonite has allowed them to continue to store all the equipment on top of the hill next to the church, and it has been an ideal marriage.

The athletic department now gets to raise funds. They pay a portion of the proceeds to the Swiss Festival Committee so it can recoup its investment in the equipment, and the department even donates to First Mennonite.

Meanwhile, those fritters continue to thrill and satisfy customers, making it a win for everyone.

“We have enjoyed being able to carry on the tradition that has been such a big part of the festival since the beginning,” Amicone said. “We recognize the importance of what the fritters have come to mean to a lot of people. We also recognize the value of maintaining the process exactly how First Mennonite has done it for all these years. They shared with us everything they know, and we haven’t changed a thing. They’ve passed along their secrets and traditions, and there’s no way we were going to change something that is so beloved, right down to continuing to beat the eggs by hand.”

The process takes a lot of work, and the church continues to open its doors to the athletic department, where they core and peel all the apples and middle school students carry the apples to the tent bucket by bucket.

With fryers, cashiers, clerks and many other volunteers needed to man the fritter tent during the three days, it takes an army of volunteers, and that task falls on the shoulders of Anna Kimble, Vicki Raber and Beth Amicone, who spearhead the effort and ensure the operation runs smoothly.

According to Beth Amicone, the apples come from Hillcrest Orchard, 30 bushels of them in fact. Along with that, they purchase 1,000 jugs of apple cider, and the team goes to work cranking out tens of thousands of fritters to hungry customers.

“We’re a lot like a team because this takes a ton of teamwork,” Beth Amicone said. “The three of us call ourselves the Fritter Fraus, and we’re there pretty much all day every day to fill in wherever we’re needed. But we have many volunteers who pitch in and make it successful.”

This year they have added something that has bolstered their effort. The department has teamed up with several key business donors who have donated either ingredients or finances to cover all the expenses.

Dutch Creek Foods has stepped in and donated $1,700 worth of flour, eggs, oil and sugar.

Other businesses have made financial donations that help make the proceeds 100% profit, which in turn supports all the Garaway athletic programs.

Beth Amicone said from the time volunteers do all the setup work to the time they tear everything down, clean it and put it into storage for next year’s event, seeing everyone pitch in and get behind the effort for a good cause is exciting.

“It’s hard work but very satisfying work,” she said.

While purchasing apple fritters is a great way to support the Garaway Athletic Booster Club and the teams, for many, the true reward is biting into those piping hot fritters.

“We’re the main sweet treat for the weekend, and we are very grateful to everyone who supports us,” Chip Amicone said. “We’re honored to carry on this fantastic Swiss Festival tradition.”