Columbia/Hellam/Wrightsville townlively.com
JANUARY 31, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIV • NO 48
Preserving history at Mount Pisgah BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Tucked away a few blocks south of Route 462 in Wrightsville, Mount Pisgah Cemetery holds history on its grounds. The cemetery marks the final resting place of 50 veterans, with a dozen dating back to the Civil War. Historically, it was a Black
cemetery, receiving the bodies that were forbidden burial in the neighboring white cemeteries during segregation. Growing up in the Wrightsville area, Phil Lehman knew of the cemetery along Mulberry Street, but he didn’t know much about it. “It was always called the ‘Black cemetery,’” he said. See History pg 4
Members of the fastnacht committee at Holy Trinity Catholic Church
“A little bite of heaven” BY CATHY MOLITORIS
“Our fastnachts are artisan. … They’re a special treat.” “We especially need help with rolling,” said Mahan. “There’s a certain way you roll, and if they are not rolled right, everything goes downhill.” She noted that no experience is necessary to volunteer. “There are people here who have been doing this for a long time, and they’ll teach volunteers,” she said. “It’s on-the-job training.” Shifts begin as early as 4 a.m., but help is particularly needed beginning about 7:30 or 8 a.m.
“You don’t have to commit for a long shift,” Mahan said. “You can come for an hour or two.” Committee member K aren Sahd oversees volunteers who come in the night before each bake to prep the dough using the 100-year-old recipe. Resch estimates that volunteers will make 6,300 dozen fastnachts this year - or more than 75,000. “That puts it in perspective, 75,000,” he said. “ You could fill a football stadium and give everyone a fastnacht.” Church members put together a history of the fastnacht bake in honor of the 100th anniversary, and Resch shared a little bit about the first bake. “In 1924, they had a fastnacht social,” he said. “It wasn’t a takeout sale. People came into the church, and there was dancing, and they raised $615 toward the construction of our new church, which broke ground in 1926. In today’s prices, that’s over $11,000.” See Fastnachts pg 2
Phil Lehman holds a book of information on veterans’ graves at Mount Pisgah Cemetery.
A sweet honor BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Before they got married, Sara and Doug Taylor spent a lot of time in the kitchen baking cookies. “It was something fun to do while we were dating,” Sara recalled. “We wanted to perfect the chocolate chip cookie and create one that was huge, gooey and dense on the inside and crispy on the outside.” Their persistence in perfecting the recipe paid off, and the couple opened Taylor Chip in 2018. Now Sara has been named as one of the Forbes 30 under 30 in the “Food and
Drink” category for 2024. The award honors 30 people under the age of 30 in 20 industries. “I was shocked when I found out I’d been chosen,” Sara said. “I actually thought the email was spam.” Once she verified its validity, she was excited to travel to New York City, where she met with other winners. Although Sara qualified for the award - she’s 29 years old - Doug is 30 and just a little too old for the honor, but Sara emphasizes the business is a team effort. The couple began making their signature cookies as wedding favors, and the sweet treats See Taylor Chip pg 2
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“O
ur fastnachts are unique,” said Betty Mahan, a member of the fastnacht committee at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Columbia. “These are handmade, not made by a machine, so no two are alike. It’s just like stars - each one is unique.” Holy Trinity will host its 100th annual fastnacht bake beginning Monday, Feb. 12. The sale will continue on Tuesday, Feb. 13, and on Mondays and Wednesdays for the next four weeks, wrapping up on Wednesday, March 13. “We call them ‘a little bite of heaven,’” said committee member Paul Resch. Added committee member Jim Knapp, “They’re so good. They are different than doughnuts because they are made with potato and yeast. We fry them in vegetable oil, and then we serve them by the dozen,
plain or glazed.” Over the several weeks of the sale, hundreds of volunteers will create the fastnachts, and the organizers are always looking for additional help.