Tarpley celebrates Labor Day
Delicious smoked meats are served at the annual Tarpley Volunteer Fire annual Labor Day parade and BBQ benefit, held last Sunday. BULLETIN PHOTO/Chuck McCollough
The Tarpley Volunteer Fire Department fundraiser and BBQ returned this year after being canceled last year because of COVID-19.
“We are double excited about this event because it has been twice as long since we have seen our friends outside of Tarpley,” said TVFD President Curtis Kosub.
He said the Tarpley VFD started in 1975. An unofficial picnic-like together already existed that later became the local Labor Day event.
Following tradition, this year’s event kicked off with a parade, followed by a BBQ and music benefitting the dpearmtnet.
“This event shows how important it is for people to be together and help build our beautiful small community,” Kosub said.
Tarpley VFD Fire Chief Kenny Alf said the event was the main source of funding for the department, and the 2020 event cancellation forced the department to send a solicitation letter.
“Our community really helped, and we did pretty good and managed to carry on. The smaller the community the tighter community,” he said.
Alf said 650 to 700 BBQ plates and other event funding sources at the Labor Day weekend event pull down between $20,000 and $25,000 for the department’s needs.
Mereedes Alhaj and family members from San Antonio were enjoying the event and stopped to talk with the Bulletin.
“We have some land up here and we visit on weekends and we came across this event and four years ago and we love it,” she said.