LAURELDALE, Pa. — Donna Dijinio didn’t wait until Tuesday.
“I’m getting fastnachts because they’re the best fastnachts in Berks County. So here I am,” said Dijinio of Riverview Park.
And she’s not the only one. For many families in Berks County, fastnachts mark the last indulgence before the Lenten season begins.
“Well, it’s Mardi Gras tomorrow, and then Lent, you know, and then Easter,” Dijinio said.
Inside Hershey Harvest in Laureldale, it’s been a nonstop operation.
“We make hundreds of dozens every day. You know, between today and tomorrow, we’ll do about 600 dozen,” owner Bob Hershey said.
All of them are made by hand.
“Every Fastnacht gets handled multiple times… it gets rolled out… cut out… placed into the fat by hand… pulled out by hand. It’s definitely not a mechanical operation,” Hershey said.
Hershey said the tradition has deep roots in Berks County.
“It’s a big Berks County thing. So, we experimented with some recipes, and between my mother and my grandmother, we came up with one that actually works,” he said.
And on Fastnacht Day, he said customers should expect a crowd.
“At 8 o’clock, the parking lot will look like a public auction. And it’ll look like that all day,” Hershey said.
That’s exactly why Dijinio decided to avoid the rush.
“I came in to order them for tomorrow because I thought they would be sold out, and I’m pleasantly surprised that they are here, and I don’t have to come back tomorrow,” she added.