If you come to the Holiday Bazaar at Ironville United Methodist Church, you had better come hungry. The church, located at 4020 Holly Drive, Columbia, has been holding the bazaar for decades, and the homemade food is a star of the show. This year's bazaar will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lower level of the church.

Members of the bazaar committee credit church member Ed Dinkel with making the best chicken corn soup around. He uses the recipe perfected by the now-defunct Ironville Fire Co.

"I spend the week leading up to the bazaar gathering the ingredients and getting everything ready," Dinkel said. "Then I cook off the chicken starting about 4:30 a.m. on Friday so it has enough time to cool before the ladies come in and pick it. They come in about 9 a.m. On Saturday, I start warming it up about 6 a.m."

Dinkel brings his 30-gallon pot to cook the soup, and he makes enough for 100 quarts.

"It's got to be good soup, because we always sell out of it," Dinkel said.

Quarts are available to go, or the soup may be eaten on-site, along with the rest of the menu items.

"We also make beef barbecue sandwiches, hot dog sandwiches, and this year, we're going to have ham and cheese sliders," said Anne Gantz, who co-chairs the bazaar with Bob Osborne. "We'll be doing a combo meal of chips, sliders and a drink."

Baked goods, all homemade by the members of the congregation, will also be for sale, along with apple dumplings made by an Amish baker.

"We have both regular and sugar-free apple dumplings," said Marge Osborne, committee member. "Almost everything we make is donated for the food we sell, so it's all profit."

Along with food, the bazaar will feature a wide variety of vendors, selling unique crafts, gifts and decor items.

"We're going to have more than 20 vendors, some from the church and some from the community," Gantz said. "They all make handcrafted, handmade items."

A White Elephant room will offer a treasure trove of unique finds, and a silent auction will provide an opportunity for people to win items that have been donated to the church.

There will be something for people of all ages to enjoy at the bazaar, Gantz said.

"This year, we're going to have Santa's Workshop, with Santa and Mrs. Claus," she noted. "People will be able to take pictures with them, and that area will also have toys that are donated to sell. We'll have Sharon Kirchner doing crafts with the children as well."

Items for sale will also come from members of Ironville's sister church, Newtown United Methodist Church.

"They'll have tables set up with their things for sale, and they'll get the proceeds from those sales for their church," Gantz said. "We'll use our proceeds for the general fund of our church."

The bazaar requires a large group of volunteers to ensure a successful event, particularly in the kitchen. Additional kitchen helpers include Don Baker, Bill Johns, Bill Bulett, Bob Shenk, John Spangler, Jean Witmer, Glenn Siegrist and Garry Fuhrman.

"We are a little church; we're active," Marge said. "Everybody has a job to do."

Parking for the bazaar is available in a large lot at the church. People should follow the signs and enter the bazaar in the back of the building. The entrance and bazaar space are handicapped-accessible.

Ironville United Methodist Church holds Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m. For more information, call the church at 717-684-8072 or visit http://www.ironvilleumc.org.