The Medina VFD served 484 plates of slow-cooked BBQ last Saturday to an overflow of patrons for all over Texans attending the annual Hunters’ Game Dinner.
Four hundred and eighty-four plates of slow cooked barbeque were served to an overflow crowd of patrons from all over Texas as well as Medina.
The crowd came early and the tunes from the Caliche Hill Band started up. As the crowd filled the spacious hall, overflow diners sat at picnic tables under the trees.
The cool weather and soft breezes made it a night to enjoy barbeque and chat with friends.
The soft scent of smoked meat filled the air to perfection as youngsters quietly played outside while their parents stood together and talked.
Elayne Mills and Meta Simons of Houston chatted about who they had seen and how they expected any late arrivals would affect the meal.
“It’s a nice time to see people you haven’t seen in a while and chat,” remarked Mills. “The community has always been very supportive. They are working on getting a new fire truck and they will get it. Everyone always comes together to support the Fire Department.”
The Farm Country Club was packed by visitors from the area and all over Texas.
Fireman Keith Keese agrees “The men were up before dawn to begin cooking the meat. And they will stay until after the event to make sure everything is right,” he said.
In fact, the members of the department worked days before making the sausage and preparing for the meal. People lined up for dinner as the firemen laughed in front of the two pits that kept the meat coming.
Keese reminisced about the early days of the fundraisers for the department.
He said they began with ice cream socials and pancake suppers but switched to barbecue in the late sixties. He joined the department in high school and remembers when the dinner was sold on the highway between the two gas stations in town under a big tree.
Local historian and renowned stone mason Cecil LeStourgeon proudly introduced his granddaughters Kennedy and Caliegh along with their mother Mandy from Houston.
He related that they had visited the cemetery before going to the Wild Game Dinner. It seemed like an annual homecoming for the family.
The MVFD’s Wild Game Dinner was by any measure a success. The community got together in a great venue for a tasty meal, good music, and friendly neighbors.
The spirit of helping and community goes far beyond what is expected in the small community of Medina.
