Cameron Peck

District Master Gary Dykhuis installed the officers of Bluegrass Assembly #310 in Lexington on August 23rd, 2015.  Pictured L-R Davis Gerhard, Steve Peterson, John Childers, Steve O’Bryan, Mike Jagielski, DM Gary Dykhuis, Bill Thomas, Jerry Lunney, Leo McMillin, Cameron Peck.

The following is a reprint from cincinnati.com.  The original article can be found here.

The volunteer Holy Donut Crew of Burlington’s Bishop Ackerman Council Knights of Columbus sold over 40,000 doughnuts.

BURLINGTON – More than 40,000 Holy Donuts, a piping hot feature and fundraiser at area festivals, were sold at the Boone County 4-H & Utopia Fair Aug. 3-8.

That was a Holy Donut record for the six-day Boone County fair, according to the Bishop Ackerman Council 5453 of the Knights of Columbus newsletter.

The local Knights council, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013, serves parishes of Immaculate Heart of Mary, All Saints and St. Paul in Boone County and St. William in Grant County.

The doughnut endeavor started in 1969, when one Holy Donut was 10 cents and a dozen cost just 65 cents more. Over the decades, the Knights of Columbus have advanced from cooking Holy Donuts on a tabletop fryer to today’s 40-foot trailer, continuing its legacy of charity and service to the community, according to its website,

Between local fairs, parish festivals and other events, the Knights sell between 100,000 and 120,000 doughnuts a year, according to previous reports.

“The Knights of Columbus help a lot of people so we always try to support them,” said Fran Robinson, of the Oakbrook neighborhood in Boone County.

Why do Holy Donuts keep rising in popularity?

“Tradition! I personally like the powdered ones, while most everyone around me likes the cinnamon,” Brown said.

“Warm yeast donuts – what more can you ask for!” Christina Powers, of Union, said.

The Holy Donuts trailer is far from the only “fair food” vendor at the Boone fair. Its neighbors on the fair midway included deep fried pickles, Colby fries, Reubens, elephant ears, kettle corn and roasted corn. Long lines snake through the fair crowd to buy doughnuts, sometimes long after the Ferris wheel and carnival games shut down for the evening.

Holy Donut season rolls on at St. Cecilia Festival in Independence Sept. 4-6 and St. Timothy’s Oktoberfest Sept. 18-20.

With about 31,000 attendees, the Boone County 4-H & Utopia Fair did well but missed its overall record of 35,000 set in 2008. Friday night set a fair record with 7,100 fair customers, according to Laura Hoskins, fair treasurer.

The Holy Donuts trailer is far from the only “fair food” vendor at the Boone fair. Its neighbors on the fair midway included deep fried pickles, Colby fries, Reubens, elephant ears, kettle corn and roasted corn. Long lines snake through the fair crowd to buy doughnuts, sometimes after the Ferris wheel and carnival games shut down for the evening.

Holy Donut season rolls on at St. Cecilia Festival in Independence Sept. 4-6 and St. Timothy’s Oktoberfest Sept. 18-20.

Besides setting a Holy Donuts record for one week – 40,768 – the Knights of Columbus also set a single-day record, selling 10,054 doughnuts on Saturday alone.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to the people of Boone County,” Ritchie said. “I am thankful for all of our customers. Each time they purchase one of our delicious doughnuts, maybe knowing that their money is going to help so many worthwhile charities will make it taste even sweeter.”