Rotary plans BBQ fundraiser
Published 9:21 pm Monday, June 3, 2013
The Churchland and Portsmouth Rotary clubs are gearing up for their 31st annual barbecue, to be held in North Suffolk on June 19.
The popular event will take place at the site of Tidewater Community College’s old Portsmouth campus, located at the end of College Drive, from 3 to 10 p.m.
Volunteers cook up some tasty morsels at a previous annual fundraiser for the Churchland and Portsmouth Rotary clubs. The popular event will be held at the site of the old Tidewater Community College in North Suffolk on June 19.
Tickets cost $30 in advance or $40 at the gate, and include all-you-can-eat barbecue and chicken, as well as soft drinks and adult beverages. Dessert will be available for purchase.
Both Bill Deal’s Original Rhondels and The Deloreans have been booked as entertainment. They will play beginning 6 p.m.
Steve Milner of the Portsmouth Rotary Club said it’s the biggest fundraiser of the year for both clubs.
“We rely on this to provide funding for our various community projects,” he said.
One Portsmouth Rotary Club project, Paint Your Heart Out, paints the exteriors of about eight homes of the elderly or indigent every year, he said.
“Both clubs contribute scholarship money for deserving students,” Milner added.
Through Rotary International, the clubs also work to eradicate polio around the world.
In at least two of the city’s high schools, the Portsmouth Rotary Club also works to teach students about being a good citizen, Milner said.
“They are possible future Rotarians,” he added.
The annual barbecue attracts a large and diverse crowd, according to Milner.
“It cuts across a lot of ages and demographic parameters,” he said. “You will see a lot of different races, different ages — different people from the community will bond at an event like this. There is no one group.”
But there is always a large contingent of more mature folks who have been attending the fundraiser for years, he added.
“It’s a fun-filled event,” Milner continued. “There’s security, of course, which is important these days.”
The confluence of the James and Nansemond River makes for a picturesque setting, he said.
“It’s a great place to have it, weather permitting,” he said. “We do it rain or shine, though usually we have had pretty good weather.”
Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.portsmouthvarotary.org.
