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1. Oral history of Eleanor Betler

Identifier:
4224.BetlerEleanor.AudioInt.2.5.16
Title:
Oral history of Eleanor Betler
Date:
2016-02-05
Creator:
Betler, Eleanor
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Cheesemaking, Orchards, Hill farming, Beef cattle, Corn bread, Carnival, Bread, foodways, Canning and preserving, Food habits, Bakers, 4-H clubs, Cooking, Swiss, Wild leek, Swine, Dairy cattle, Helvetia (W. Va.)
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Eleanor Betler was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia in 1940 and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She spent her summers in Helvetia at the farm of her maternal grandparents, James and Anna Merkli McNeal. She married Howard Bud Betler in 1961. The couple moved to a hilltop farm in Helvetia and raised four children. All the good cooks, many of them relatives of Mr. Betler taught Mrs. Betler about canning, preserving, cooking and baking. She was especially interested to learn the skills of butchering and preserving meat, and making sausage. Mrs. Betler loves the Swiss traditional baking but also Appalachian ways of some neighbors. She grinds her own flour for baking bread. At Fasnacht time she invites neighbors and friends to make the hozablatz and rosettes just to keep the tradition alive. She also preserves this history by collecting stories, music, and photographs for The Helvetia Archives.This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

2. Transcript of oral history of Eleanor Betler

Identifier:
4224.BetlerEleanor.IntTranscript.2.5.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Eleanor Betler
Date:
2016-02-05
Creator:
Betler, Eleanor
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Bakers, Bread, Swine, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Hill farming, Corn bread, Beef cattle, Carnival, Canning and preserving, Wild leek, Orchards, Sheep farming, 4-H clubs, Cheesemaking, Dairy cattle, Swiss American women, foodways, Cooking, Swiss
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Helvetia Community Fair, located in the Swiss community of Helvetia in Randolph County, is one of the oldest agricultural fairs in West Virginia. Activities include a parade in Swiss costume, alphorn music, Swiss folk dancing and singing, fahnenschwingen (flag twirling), a crafts, food, and canning exhibition, field events, an archery shoot, and more.Learn more in Emily Hilliard's Bitter Southerner piece on Helvetia's seasonal celebrations, including the Community Fair: https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAnd in the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project conducted by the West Virginia Folklife Program in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

3. Cornbread and bread entries in the Helvetia Community Fair

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaCommunityFair.078.Photo.9.10.16
Title:
Cornbread and bread entries in the Helvetia Community Fair
Date:
2016-09-10
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Bakers, Helvetia (W. Va.), Agricultural exhibitions, Food habits, Bread, Festivals, foodways, Corn bread
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["The Htte Swiss Restaurant was founded in Helvetia in the 1960s by Eleanor Mailloux and Delores Bagerly. Mailloux took sole ownership of the restaurant in 1976, and it is now owned by a collective of family members. The Htte is still open every day and functions as a community gathering place and ad hoc museum. The restaurant offers mostly Swiss-German fare, with menu items such as rosti, veal and pork bratwurst, parsley potatoes, sauerkraut, house made sausage, homemade bread, and sauerbraten (sour beef). The sampler plate includes veal and pork bratwurst, sausage, parsley potatoes, green beans, curry chicken, homemade bread, sauerkraut, pickled pineapple, Helvetia cheese, and peach cobbler.Visit the Httes facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/The-H%C3%BCtte-Restaurant-164869667005759Read more about the Htte in Emily Hilliards articles for the Southern Foodways Alliance: https://www.southernfoodways.org/something-good-from-helvetia/NPRs The Salt: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/02/17/386970143/swiss-village-west-virginia-mardi-gras-feast-fasnachtAnd The Bitter Southerner:https://bittersoutherner.com/my-year-in-helvetia-west-virginiaAlso see the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project conducted by the West Virginia Folklife Program in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

4. Hutte sampler plate offered during the Helvetia Community Fair

Identifier:
4224.HelvetiaCommunityFair.082.Photo.9.10.16
Title:
Hutte sampler plate offered during the Helvetia Community Fair
Date:
2016-09-10
Creator:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Cooking (Sausages), Restaurants--United States, Food habits, Cooking (Sauerkraut), Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, Swiss, foodways, Bread, Restaurateurs
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)

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5. Oral history of Morgan Rice

Identifier:
4224.RiceMorgan.AudioInt.4.30.16
Title:
Oral history of Morgan Rice
Date:
2016-04-30
Creator:
Rice, Morgan
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Helvetia (W. Va.), Wild leek, foodways, Bread, Restaurateurs, Swiss American women, Food habits, Cooking, Swiss
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Morgan Rice was born in Helvetia, West Virginia in 1999. She is the daughter of Hutte cook Henry Rice, and great-granddaughter of town matriarch and co-founder of the Hutte restaurant, Eleanor Mailloux. Ms. Rice is a member of the Helvetia Farm Womens Club and works part-time as a waitress at the Hutte restaurant. In 2015 she created a petition to save Helvetias Ramp Supper.This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

6. Transcript of oral history of Morgan Rice

Identifier:
4224.RiceMorgan.IntTranscript.4.30.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Morgan Rice
Date:
2016-04-30
Creator:
Rice, Morgan
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Swiss American women, Food habits, Wild leek, Bread, foodways, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, Swiss, Restaurateurs
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)