A Valentine's lasagna dinner and a sale of fastnachts are two "foodraisers" being planned by the Hay Creek Valley Historical Association (HCVHA) at Historic Joanna Furnace, 1250 Furnace Road, Geigertown.

The lasagna dinner will be offered on Thursday, Feb. 12. For the takeout meal, there will be a choice of homemade meat lasagna, with marinara or Alfredo sauce; cheese lasagna; and gluten-free meat lasagna. The dinner will include a pan of lasagna and salad, as well as bread for the non-gluten-free dinners.

All the dinners will be sold cold with heating instructions included. Lasagna dinners will include a homemade chocolate dessert. "We plan to have other foods available to purchase on the day of our sale, including chocolate-covered strawberries and homemade soup," said Mark Zerr, HCVHA executive director. Items will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Takeout lasagna meals must be ordered in advance at www.haycreek.org. The order deadline is Monday, Feb. 9. Takeout dinners can be picked up between noon and 5 p.m. on Feb. 12.

The HCVHA will also hold a sale of homemade fastnachts on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Fastnachts can be purchased by the half or full dozen and can be eaten fresh or can be frozen to eat at a later time.

Fastnachts must be ordered in advance at the aforementioned website. The order deadline is Feb. 12. Orders can be picked up on Feb. 17 between noon and 5 p.m.

Fastnachts are a Pennsylvania Dutch fried dough dessert similar to doughnuts. They are traditionally served on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent starts.

The square-shaped fastnachts made by HCVHA volunteers are of the yeast-raised potato variety. "Hay Creek volunteers arrive at 4:30 a.m. on the day of the sale to mix the ingredients, allow the dough to rise, then hand-roll and cut the fastnachts before frying," Zerr said. "They are then cooled and packaged for pickup."

The Hay Creek Valley Historical Association is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. Zerr encourages local residents to consider joining the organization, which has a mission to support the education, research, restoration and preservation of the significant 18th- and 19th-century Joanna Furnace iron-making community.

HCVHA also operates the Tri-County Heritage Library, located at 219 Mill Road in Morgantown.  The library houses historical documents, artwork, photographs, newspapers and other artifacts relating to the history of Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties. To learn more, visit http://www.facebook.com/TriCountyHeritageLibrary.

Historic Joanna Furnace is located just off Route 10, 3 miles north of Morgantown. Those with questions about the foodraisers may contact Zerr at info@haycreek.org or call 610-286-0388. More information and a link to place orders is also available at http://www.facebook.com/historicjoannafurnace.