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"When someone wants a piece of blueberry pie, you've got to have that piece of pie waiting for them," laughed longtime volunteer Josephine Petrosky. "People like their pie."

Petrosky and her older sister, Anna Gall, kept that sentiment in mind as they worked the pie table during the congregation's Tuesday night roast beef dinner.

In two hours, the siblings helped dish up just over 250 pieces of pie, while Berneece Peet plated at least 300 rolls at the next table. And it was all in an evening's work for Peet and Petrosky, both 90, and 92 year-old Gall.

The effervescent Chesaning residents have been helping with Showboat dinners for a combined 150+ years. Before their pie and roll-serving days, they took on the countless other planning and food preparation tasks associated with the all-you-can-eat dinners.

While the church currently serves between 150 and 300 people each night, in the height of Showboat's popularity it was not unusual to feed 600 to 700 patrons per evening. Peet said she used to bake 12 pies a week - usually blueberry or apple - for the dinners.

She recalls whipping up batches of gravy thickening at home and bringing it to the church kitchen in half a dozen large jugs. Peet quit her gravy-making duties a few years ago, but continues to help with rolls, salads and pies during the Monday through Friday meals.

The current menu features family style servings of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, rolls, cole slaw, pickled beets, pickles, applesauce, pie and beverages. This year's meals were served Monday through Friday, with about 50 volunteers working during meal hours and almost as many handling food preparation in the morning.

"It's quite a lot of work... like a restaurant, really, but everyone pitches in and helps," Peet said. "I'll keep doing it as long as I can."

Despite declining numbers - following a recent trend in Showboat Music Festival ticket sales - the dinner is still an important fundraising project for the church. In the past the proceeds have been used for mission programs and fellowship hall improvements, and currently help defray insurance costs.

Trinity United Methodist is the last Chesaning area congregation serving all-you-can-eat meals during Showboat week. Other area churches have discontinued their dinners due to poor turnout and the heavy demand on volunteers.

But the pie ladies say Showboat dinners will be a part of their future for as long as their help is needed.

"Where would I be if I wasn't here? I'd rather be here helping everyone out and doing what I can, even if it's just slicing up some pies," Petrosky said.

"We enjoy it," added Gall. "We really do."