Perrytown B-B-Q - After Three Year Hiatus Our Blog Return Starts With ...

The Perrytown Volunteers - A Great Team!
And Their Spring Bar-B-Q Chicken Festival!

by Dean Stephens

The Volunteer Fire Department of Perrytown, Station 53 of Bertie County, is a success because of the incredible volunteers who support the fundraisers that keep the Fire Trucks running.  The popular Perrytown Spring B-B-Q Chicken Festival is an annual event that helps keep this organization serving the local community.  I covered the event 3 years ago just as I had to stop blogging for personal commitments that were taking all my time.  That article was the last event covered by the Chowan River Patriot, until this year.  Now this years Festival is the first event covered as we end the three year hiatus and renew publishing our blog.   It seems fitting that we are covering an organization that is supported by so many hard working and dedicated local citizens.  This is a great community with people who care.

The following are the people who volunteer for the Fire Department to put out the fires, as well as work so hard to make this Spring Festival a success:  David Baker, Brice Cullipher, Brent Daniels, Mark Daniels, Richard Daniels, Kenneth Davidson, Trent Davidson, Matt Hoggard, Shannon Hoggard, Brian Hughson, Keith Hughson, Kevin Johnson, James Jordan, Toby King, Austin Lawrence, Harold Lawrence, Mack Lawrence, Steven Lawrence, Angeano Leary, Keith Lee, Rodney Lee, Tommy Northcutt, Chris Paspas, William Perry, Jimmy Pierce, Alan Simons, Marcus Thomas, and Gregory Todd.

They are joined in their efforts by other volunteers who work with them to make the Spring Festival a success:  Paulette Pierce, Jennifer Daniels, Phyllis Davidson, Kaye Hughson, Alice Lee, Bonnie Jordan, Peggy Brown, Carolyn Lawrence, Chrissy Hughson,  Donna Morris, Liz Casper, Lee Lawrence, Pam Lawrence, Beth Northcutt, Glenda Basnight, Kim Daniels, Webster Daniels, Haywood White, George Hughes, Marcie Todd, Heather Paspas, Sherri Baker, Leslie Lawrence, and Augie King.

Ronnie Felton from the Colerain Fire Department was a special help, as he was in charge of all the cookers that were used to prepare the chicken.

This event takes a massive effort on everyone's part.

The planning and organizing  goes on for months.

Starting Friday, the all day preparation consumes hundreds of man hours to get ready for the Saturday event.  Pick up the chickens and then clean 1450 chicken halves and placing them into coolers so they can be cooked in stages all day Saturday, assuring each customer gets his chicken dinner fresh off the Bar-B-Que cookers.  Peel and clean 650 pounds of potatoes.  Clean and cut 450 pounds of cabbage for the slaw.   Cut and slice 60 pounds of onions, and a whole lot of tears are shed with this task.  Then set up the tables and chairs.  Prepare all the cookers and associated paraphernalia that heats the charcoal to carefully control the heat for the master chefs who always cook the chickens to perfection.   The volunteers asked that a special mention be made for C. J. Meats, who were helpful above and beyond to make this event a success.  That concludes the Friday preparation.

Saturday morning the volunteers have to get out of bed to be at the station by 5:00 AM, so the Bar-B-Q can be perfect, the slaw prepared, the potatoes cooked,  the deserts made ready, the bread and sauce organized... along with hundreds of other details to make sure everything is perfect and the meal the customer gets is perfect.

The concern the volunteers show is simply amazing.  As usual this event went well because of their work.  A special thank you to all of them.   Following are pictures taken throughout the day showing them doing their work to deliver a perfect Bar-B-Q Chicken to the people who came out.  

It is good to be back blogging about our local community and its events!