When their now-grown children were young, Margie and Jay Peters sought out affordable family activities they could all do together.

"We like to think we embrace a simple life," said Margie, who lives in Manheim with Jay. "When our kids were young, we enjoyed having things they could go to and participate in that didn't have an entrance fee. We just wanted simple, fun things to do as a family."

Soon, they realized others might feel the same way.

"We thought, 'If we enjoy going to things like that, we should be willing to host those kinds of events,'" Margie recalled.

The result has been an annual tradition on the couple's farm: a community celebration centered around the premise of a children's story.

"Stone Soup" tells the story of strangers who come together to create a shared meal, each contributing what they can to make a feast for all to enjoy.

Each fall, the Peterses invite family and friends to make Stone Soup in the summer kitchen on their farm.

The soup starts in a big cast-iron kettle with a stone and broth. "Every guest family is asked to bring one quart of chopped vegetables, your own bowl, spoon and lawn chair," said family friend Janice Shenk, who has attended the event. "While the soup is cooked over a wood fire, Jay stirs it with a long-handled wooden stirrer. Margie adds spices and herbs and prepares homemade rolls with jelly to go with the soup. Lawn games are enjoyed by anyone who wishes to participate. Then when the soup is ready, a prayer of thanks is given, and all enjoy the delicious soup and fellowship. ... It is a wonderful community experience!"

The Peterses have hosted the event for decades, and it's steadily evolved into a group of about 130 people who enjoy fellowship and fun before the feast.

"We play inclusive games that everyone can participate in," Margie shared. "We might do 'hot potato' with a bowl with a Tupperware lid, and the bowl is filled with slips of paper. Some say 'prize,' some are blank and some have a gentle, silly consequence on them. We pass the bowl around and when the music stops, the person holding the bowl picks a slip and gets a prize, does nothing or has to do the consequence, which could be something like shouting, 'I love my mom!' It's all done in fun."

Other years, the group has participated in a critter race, where people are sent out on the farm with containers to capture spiders or bugs. The critters are then dropped on a table, and the first bug to run off the edge is declared the winner.

After many years of hosting the event, the Peterses considered stopping the festivities, but they were met by resistance from their own family.

"Our granddaughter just turned 11, and she said it's the best day of the year when we do this," Margie recalled. She also loves that her four children and six grandchildren travel from their homes outside the county to attend each year.

She encourages other people to consider hosting a Stone Stoup event like this one.

"It's a nice opportunity for people to mix and mingle and make new friends," she said. "If you have an idea to do something like this, risk following through on it and invite people. Invite people you feel comfortable with and say, 'We're going to try it. This might be a little crazy, but let's try it and have fun.'"