Do you remember what gift, if any, you received for each of your wedding anniversaries?

According to Wikipedia, which references “Debrett’s Everyday Etiquette,” British Wedding Anniversaries, “The tradition of assigning a gift to each year of a marriage dates back to the Holy Roman Empire, when husbands crowned their wives with a silver wreath on their twenty-fifth anniversary and a gold wreath on the fiftieth. Later, principally in the 20th century, commercialism led to the addition of more anniversaries being represented by a named gift.”

I have found reference to a possible deviation from the traditional gifts that George Hormel may have indulged in for his anniversary in 1915. The Mower County Transcript reported news from the Albert Lea Tribune on Feb. 24, 1915 which happened to be George and Lillian’s 23rd anniversary.

“The Motor Inn Co. has delivered the 1915 eight cylinder Cadillac cars to Geo. A. Hormel, A.L. Eberhart, B. E. Hormel and Nathan Banfield in Austin. The first carload for Albert Lea will be here next week. Only about one half the number of Cadillac cars needed to supply the demand in the territory controlled by the Motor Inn Co. can be obtained before June 15th on account of a similar demand all over the United Stated. The factory is making deliveries at the rate of 120 a day.”

At the Hormel Historic Home’s sixth annual Foodie Throwdown, we celebrated the long and admirable marriage of George and Lillian Hormel. They would have achieved 125 years on the 24th of this month. Guests were greeted by the couple upon entering the Home and were treated to music and delicious food in their honor.

Six chef teams prepared dishes such as baked salmon with mango chimichurri sauce, slow roasted and barbecued ribs, chorizo Spam tacos, seared beef tenderloin, and grilled ribeye steak. Desserts included Irish cupcakes, Victorian vanilla bean ice cream with drunken peaches, baked Alaska, Skippy peanut butter pie and candied bacon fudge cheesecake.

Throughout the event, partygoers voted for their favorite dishes and emcee Neal Hull announced the winners.

The winners were:

Main dish: The Austin Country Club Culinary Team of Philip Ryks and Denise Suter with Rosemary Red Wine Braised Pork Shank

Dessert: The Just Neighbors Team of Leah and Levi Erickson and Tom and Kim Schulte with Caramel Apple Crunch ala Bailey’s Whipped Cream

The winners did not receive a new Cadillac, but they were rewarded with hearty applause and a small token of appreciation for their participation. The Foodie Throwdown is an important fundraising event for the HHH, and we are grateful for the support of all who came and made contributions to the event.

History Happy Hour — Southern MN Railroad

5:30 p.m., social; 6 p.m. Presentation, March 13

Railroad enthusiast Paul Spyhalski will discuss the development of the Lyle Gateway. Free for members of the HHH, Friends of the Library, and the Mower County Historical Society. $5 for non-members.