May 19, 2007 By Jackie Beranek 6 min read

FARMINGTON – Rose and Carl Cook of Point Marion have been preparing meals for a wagon train’s modern-day pioneers, who are part of the National Road Festival, for the past three years and this year was no exception. The Cooks said this project is like so many other projects where they give their time. They additionally said that they served between 100 and 110 people on Friday when the wagon train rolled into Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa in Farmington.

“Our friends on the wagon train start to line up about 15 minutes before the scheduled dinner hour at 6 p.m.,” said Carl Cook. “I think they look forward to this meal because it is usually a good one.”

Friday’s homemade meal of ham, baked potatoes, coleslaw, rolls and butter, pudding and a beverage appeared to hit the spot with members of the wagon train as they filled their plates and walked back to their wagons and/or camping trailers.

Questions, such as “Where’s the sour cream and butter?” and “Do we have enough pudding?” could be heard from area Girl Scouts, who have been helping serve wagon train participants for the past 25 years, according to Faye Augustine.

After the meal prayer, the Cooks sat down to talk about the event, while keeping an eye on the crowd to make sure that everyone had what they needed. Rose Cook said cooking for the wagon train has been a good challenge for her and her husband.

“It’s a lot of work but we cook for the Girl Scouts, the church, funeral dinners and next weekend we will be cooking for the Albert Gallatin band because they have four parades,” said Rose Cook.

“The first year we met with the National Road Festival Committee they appeared to be surprised that we could serve hot meals and items such as biscuits and gravy.

“The first year they questioned everything we did. Last year it got easier and this year they simply looked at the menu and said ‘it looks good to us.'”

Rose Cook said she and Carl began cooking on Wednesday in Grantville, Md., in Beitzel’s Field.

“Wednesday we did a brunch all day because that’s the all-day registration,” she continued. “On Thursday we cooked biscuits and gravy for breakfast and the food for that meal was donated by Hardy’s Restaurant. We also had cold cereal and toast and instant packs of oatmeal, and of course, we had to do everything on a grill or use a generator.”

Rose Cook said wagon train members ate at McDonald’s Restaurant in Addison on Thursday afternoon because they were on the road. She also said that she and her husband have to monitor the group because there have been people who have showed up in period costume and tried to sneak in to get a free meal.

“You run into all kinds of folks,” said Carl Cook, “but we know most of the people on the wagon train now, so we can weed out the ones who don’t belong.”

On Thursday, the Cooks served chili and what’s called “road-kill stew.”

“The stew is actually made with beef but it’s a joke among wagon train members because the people who walk in front of the wagon train have to clean up the road kill because it might scare the horses,” said Carl Cook.

Rose Cook said Thursday’s meal went over big because it rained all day and it was cold.

“They always appreciate a warm meal,” she said, “on a cold and rainy day. We also served cornbread, dinner rolls and peach slices. We just try to make it a good meal for them.”

Cook said on Friday morning wagon train members had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and home fries for breakfast, all prepared on the outside grill, and they ate lunch at the A.J. McMullen Middle School along Route 40.

The Cooks also spend a lot of their time volunteering with Point Marion Methodist Church in addition to their other activities.

Rose Cook said, “We have been involved with our daughters from the beginning. When Carl and I were young we didn’t have a lot of stuff like this to do, so we decided that if we were going to have children, we would spend the time with them.”

The Cooks have two daughters, Chassey, 27 and Jessica, 14.

Meanwhile, wagon train members will eat breakfast this morning before heading to Hopwood, the “Gateway to the West,” where they will enjoy lunch at the Hopwood Fitness Center before moving on to Mount St. Macrina, via Uniontown, where they will celebrate their four-day trek with a spaghetti dinner and a campfire.

Rose Cook said there would be a Girl Scout celebration at the campfire, celebrating the fact that the Girl Scouts have been helping out with the wagon train for 25 years.

“Someone from the Girl Scout Trillium Council office in Pittsburgh will be at Mount St. Macrina for that,” said Rose Cook.

This year’s 34th annual National Road Festival, continuing through Sunday, again celebrates the legacy of “The Road That Built the Nation.” According to organizers, it’s a way for modern-day pioneers to celebrate the area’s heritage.

The wagon train travels along the 90 miles of the Historic National Road in Pennsylvania, which is the nation’s first federally built highway – much of it running along present-day Route 40.

Some of the highlights of today’s schedule include:

– Registration for a 5K walk and run at the Methodist Church in Addison will be held from 8 to 9 a.m.

– Hopwood activities include: plant sale by the Hopwood Garden Club; the crowning ceremony of the 2007 King and Queen of Hopwood at 11 a.m. on the lawn of the National City Bank; the 9th annual parade at 1 p.m.; and the fishing derby at 3 p.m. in the stream at the South Union Recreation Park at Hutchinson.

– A car cruise from noon to 4 p.m., sponsored by the Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority on Beeson Boulevard; food and drinks available to purchase and a disc jockey spinning tunes; and a wagon train ceremony at Marshall Park across from the VFW Post on Main Street.

– The National Pike Steam Gas and Horse Association in Malden will have activities throughout the day.

– High Ryder country band will perform from 2 to 6 p.m. at Nemacolin Castle, Brownsville; castle tours from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.; and climbing wall available for children in addition to food and craft booths.

– Searight Tollhouse in Uniontown will be open for tours and a “Treasures of the Pike” sale from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.