Riebeeck East was the place to be last weekend, as members of the NG Kerk, the town's residents and the local farming community staged a bazaar well worth the 39km trek that many made from Grahamstown.
Riebeeck East was the place to be last weekend, as members of the NG Kerk, the town's residents and the local farming community staged a bazaar well worth the 39km trek that many made from Grahamstown.
Those in the know got there early to snap up the cornucopia of fresh produce, cakes, fresh meat and home-baked bread – including Dominee Strauss de Jager's speciality, mosbolletjies.
"There was a lot of good will," De Jager told Grocott's Mail afterwards. A combined congregation of less than 50 at the Riebeeck East and Fonteinskloof churches shared the load with locals, serving up a paradise of puddings, tea and coffee and endless pancakes, along with music that got old and young bopping and tapping their toes.
Several cyclists from Grahamstown took the slow road, pedalling along the dirt road route past Table Farm.
"There were lots of new faces," De Jager said. He said a funeral had kept part of the crowd away until later, when they arrived for a delicous early lunch of curry and rice.
Later, the excitement built up as a collection of Merino and Dorper sheep were auctioned. It's only a half-serious auction, De Jager explained.
"Quite a few people will win their bid for a sheep, then give the sheep back to be re-auctioned," he said.
"They don't really want the sheep – it's their way of paying 'tithes' to the church. Auctioneer Jakkie Nel conducted proceedings.
"The highest bid was around R3 000," the Dominee said.
