Happening once every two years, it's no surprise the Palmerton Concourse Club's famous "Nine Bean Soup Mix" is a fast sellout.

On Tuesday night, 19 members gathered at the West End Fire Company to pack 500 bags with nine different types of beans. The beans are eventually sold for $2.50 per bag as a club fundraiser."People love them and they usually don't make it a month when the bags are ready," said Cindy Gasper. "By the first time we meet, which will be the September/October meeting, we're usually reporting that we're sold out."Each bag makes a large pot of bean soup and the recipe comes with it."The Concourse Club has been holding the biannual bean sale for at least 30 years.Leading up to Wednesday, the club orders the beans from an Amish vendor at the Hometown Farmers Market.Varieties include yellow and green split peas, baby limas, large lima beans, great northern beans, light red kidney beans, pearled barley, lentils and navy beans."Each club member gets 10 bags to sell and we also have them at the Palmerton Library for the public," said Amy Lalik.Proceeds from the sale don't go to one designated area, instead they go back into a pot and are split among different community projects the club sponsors.The beans are packed into fabric bags made by Barbara DiMattia and Barbara Hafer-Prout.On average, it takes around two hours to pack all the bags, Gasper said.For more information on Concourse Club events or becoming a member, visit

http://www.concourseclub.org.