There is a series of light-hearted plays popular in the Midwest featuring “The Church Basement Ladies.”
Have you ever wondered about the settting? Remember the brick schoolhouse/church from a recent post?
The basement was dug in the late 1940’s or early 50’s. Two entrances like required in every public building — one was a door direct to the outside, the other a narrow set of steps up to the building’s front narthex/coatroom/entrance. The main features when I was a child included: a large furnace (wood burning, then later oil), a kitchen with a propane stove, tables, wooden folding chairs, and (a requirement for all church basements) a support post a perfect diameter to grasp while twirling until you were dizzy.
A few remodels and updates later — the space hosts Sunday school classes, regular pot-luck suppers, and funeral lunches.
Socializing after a funeral early this century.