The snow is melting, and spring weather should hopefully be right around the corner. It's time for a good old-fashioned ham and dandelion dinner at Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Trachsville.

Today's event, headed by the church's ladies' group, Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, will feature a hearty spread of ham, dandelion greens, potatoes and more.Perhaps the biggest draw, though, is the salty-sweet dressing that contrasts the slightly bitter greens."The bacon dressing, that's the specialty of the whole ham and dandelion dinner," WELCA President Shirley Craig said. "Everyone wants the dandelions with the bacon dressing."Ham and dandelion dinners are a mainstay of the Pennsylvania Dutch community in the spring, especially around Easter. Craig said the springtime meal has been served at the current location since the church's opening in 2003, but the tradition dates back between 20 and 30 years."It was something to do, a fundraiser, and there's fellowship, everybody working together as a team," Craig said.Three days of hard work go into the dinner, with the dandelion greens and dressing handled on Thursday, ham and potatoes on Friday, and cooking on Saturday.A staff of 38 volunteers handled the 210 pounds of ham, 75 pounds of dandelions, 250 pounds of potatoes, and 30 gallons of bacon dressing that went into the feast.Craig said that the nonprofit financial services group Thrivent provided some much-appreciated monetary help."We go to Thrivent's action committee, and they give us a donation toward our dinner," Craig said.Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the church's general fund.The dinner will begin at 3:30 p.m., and run until 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door and takeout will also be available, but make sure you come early. Last year's dinner brought in over 300 diners, and Craig said that they are expecting between 375 and 400 for this year's feast.