Berdina, Lydia, and her brothers all had to go to Bible School for a few weeks each summer. It was held in the little white school building next to the church. The minister taught Bible School, or German School as they called it, which was in the forenoon. Everyone who was school age had to go to Bible School. They went each summer until they were confirmed which was about the age of thirteen or fourteen. The younger children had Bible stories read to them. Sometimes the minister’s wife taught the younger ones, the minister taught the rest. The older children had to learn the Bible, the order of the books. They had to read and memorize certain verses, the catechism, hymns and the “Feeble”, a German book that taught the alphabet, rules and sounds of German and simple German words. It was all pretty serious study, but it only lasted a few hours each day. Berdina and the rest of the children were home each day by noon.

Berdina enjoyed the new friends she met at school. Some of the students were from a different school. They all belonged to the same church.

In the afternoon, Berdina, Lydia and the boys had to pick beans. Pa had planted a big patch of green beans. Ma canned some, the rest were sold at the bean factory in Neillsville.

It was hot in the bean patch in the afternoon and the job got very tiresome. It helped to have someone to talk with while Berdina worked.

Pa said, “You must pick the beans very carefully so as not to damage the plants.”

Sometimes when Berdina picked up the bush there would be a little snake under it trying to get out of the hot sun. Berdina would get shocked and frightened. The snake would crawl away.

Ma said, “Those little garden or grass snakes won’t hurt you.”

Berdina wasn’t so sure about that.

At night after the milking was done, the beans that had been picked that afternoon were dumped onto the big kitchen table and everyone had to help snip them.

Pa said, “If we snip them, the factory will give us a few cents a pound more for them.”

Some nights the neighbors came over and helped snip while they visited.

When the beans were all snipped they were put in bags and tied shut. Pa would take them into town early the next morning.

Each day more beans were picked, snipped and taken into town until the bean season was over. If it rained, everyone got a rest.

Soon Bible School was over. Now they would have a picnic. This picnic was called “Kinderfest”, which means “Children’s Feast”. What a feast it was. Each child that attended Bible School received several tickets, each worth a nickel and each capable of purchasing either pop, a candy bar, gum, cracker jacks, or an ice cream cone.

The picnic was held on a Sunday afternoon in the church park, or the picnic grove as it was called.

It was hard for Berdina to decide which candy bar she wanted: there were Baby Ruth, Butter Finger, O'Henry, Hershey and the Three Musketeers.

Berdina said, “I think the Three Musketeers are the best buy because they have three pieces in each wrapper. One light brown, one pink and one white, each covered with chocolate.”

There were three choices of gum: Doublemint, Spearmint and Juicy Fruit all made by Wrigley.
Berdina made her double dip ice cream cone last a long time. It would be one of the few she would have during the summer.

The pop was cooled in tubs of ice in the stand. It looked so good! There was root beer, grape, cherry, orange and cream soda, so her choice wasn’t easy, but Berdina usually chose grape. After the last drop was consumed, Berdina had to return the bottle to the stand. She could keep the cap; she would take it home and with a knife pry off the cork inside the cap, then put the cap on her blouse, and press the cork back in on the back side. It would stay right on. Berdina thought her handsome pin looked great with her favorite flavor written across it.

Berdina was eager to purchase a box of cracker jacks and see what the little prize was inside.

Games were played at the picnic and prizes were given, but the real attraction of the picnic was the treats Berdina could buy with her tickets.