The Great American Brass Band Festival

2007 Festival Articles

Brass Band Festival picnic is family reunion time for 'The Sisters'

By EMILY TOADVINE
emily@amnews.com

During the brass band festival, Kay Berggren, left, usually can expect a visit from her sisters, Ruth Fredericksen of Texas, middle, and Rita Walker of Wisconsin.

Many people love to dress up for the Saturday night picnic at The Great American Brass Band Festival, but a couple of longtime picnickers focus on the food and fun with family.

Kay Berggren, former director of the Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau, has many fond memories of picnicking. It's reunion time for Berggren and her sisters, Ruth Fredericksen from Texas and Rita Walker from Wisconsin.

"They have come to brass band every year since the second year, I believe. We have our special spot where we set out chairs for Saturday's concerts at main stage, and we're at the same area come Sunday for the worship service and the day's concerts. We have always had tickets for the Chautauqua Tea and sister Rita attends the history conference each year."

Berggren says many festival-goers know them as "the sisters."

"Shan Kihlman had met my sisters and I believe it was she who dubbed us 'the sisters'. The first time her husband, Dale, met us down on Centre's campus, my friend introduced Ruth and Rita as 'the sisters.' He was exceedingly polite and a bit quiet while we chatted. As they walked away, he said to his wife, 'I didn't know Kay was Catholic.' He thought they were sisters of the faith. Well, we had a great laugh over that, and each year everyone gets a good chuckle when he greets the sisters."

In addition to sharing laughs, Berggren says they enjoy a lot of good food. Their menu includes Turkey Salad and Asparagus.

"We have been making these recipes for our traditional Saturday evening meal for at least 16 years. The original recipe for the turkey salad came from Barbara Carney. Each year we just add rolls, appetizer and dessert."

This year, Berggren plans to add "The Barefoot Contessa's Brownies" for dessert. She says they're worth the calories.

"They call for 1 pound of butter and 21/4 pounds of chocolate. Yikes! I made them and have put them in the freezer, but taste-tested them, and they are delicious."

Pass the salt, please

Berggren says there was a year when she neglected one item on her table, but fellow picnickers came to the rescue.

"One year, I had worked until late on Friday evening, helping to host the media event at Pioneer Playhouse. The next day for the parade and the music at the different venues, I had zipped back and forth around the community, making sure all announcers were in place and just checking on things in general. It was a very hot year for brass band, so everyone was sweating like crazy. For some reason, that year our menu included nothing salty whatsoever. About halfway through the evening, I was really craving something salty. Well, I glanced over at the table next to us - Barbara Anderson's table - and spied this delectable looking box of snack crackers. All I could think was 'I need some salt.' Finally, I turned around and said, 'Barbara, I'll give you $10 for a handful of those crackers.'

Of course, Miss Gracious insisted we have the entire box and did they taste good. Now we make sure we have something salty to go along with our evening meal."

Festival time keeps Linda Sparrow hopping, but it's also a time for her family and friends to gather.

"Our daughter and family from Minnesota and our other daughter and family from Carlisle always enjoy the event, and we also invite friends from Danville and throughout the state," says Sparrow who has had a table all 18 years of the festival.

One item that keeps them coming back is her marinated chicken dish.

"I like to use this recipe because it can be made ahead of time and placed in the oven when ready to bake."

One secret to successful picnicking is not waiting until the last minute to make the food.

"I try to do as much as I can ahead of time because I also am in charge of the Hospitality Room for the bands that perform."

Although everyone enjoys the main course, Sparrow says the Rum Pound Cake dessert is the favorite part for her husband, David.

"The Sisters" Brass Band Turkey Salad

Kay Berggren stuffs a somewhat thawed turkey breast with:

Fresh thyme
1 lemon cut in quarters
Whole bulb of garlic, sliced through the middle, so each clove is cut in half
Celery tops
Salt and pepper

Rub the outside with salt and pepper and Herbs de Provence. Roast one hour at 425 degrees to brown and then put into a large oval crockpot and roast on low all day. Cool and cut into pieces.

On the day of the picnic, mix the dressing with the meat:

1 1/2 cups Hellman's mayo (or more as needed)
2-3 tablespoons pineapple juice (from the pineapple tidbits you will add later)
1 tablespoons sugar

Mix with meat and marinade all day.

In late afternoon, before attending the picnic, add:

Whole pecans
Pineapple tidbits
Green grapes, cut in half
Fresh asparagus

Cooked tender crisp. Mix Good Seasons ranch dip with 1-2 teaspoons curry powder and a little milk to thin it. Place asparagus on a plate and drizzle curry dip over when serving.

Outrageous Brownies

From "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook"

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13- by 18- by 11/2-inch sheet pan. Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake. Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Marinated Chicken Breasts

From Linda Sparrow

Boneless Chicken Breasts

Marinate overnight in Zesty Italian dressing.

Dip in sour cream and roll in bread crumbs until well covered. Place in large baking dish or pan. Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

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