NORTH FORK – One of the most anticipated events of the spring in North Fork is the annual Tri-tip BBQ, put on by the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary. It is scheduled this year for Saturday, Apr. 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the North Fork School.
This is the major fundraiser for the Auxiliary, who work hard all year to provide funds necessary to outfit Madera County Fire Department Station 11 firefighters with equipment not budgeted by the County or provided by Cal Fire.
Recently, the Auxiliary donated $80,000 to the County toward the purchase of a new Type 6 Engine, which will be on display at the BBQ.
Providing Station 11 staff with whatever they need to do their job well is the singular mission of the Auxiliary, with a lot of their funding generated by orchestrating a fantastic feed every spring for the community. Come by and meet your firefighters from Station 11 and from Cal Fire’s Rancheria Station, along with Sheriff’s deputies, CHP officers, Forest Service patrols, Sierra Ambulance and SkyLife personnel, and Smokey Bear.
Besides the excellent fare at the BBQ – including tri-tip, beans (with vegetarian option), salad bar, roll and drink – the Women’s Club will be there with a table full of homemade desserts for sale, which will fund their scholarship program.
Dinners can even be ordered to-go, so if your significant other is busy that day clearing that all-important defensible space, you can bring them lunch, fresh off the grill.
Special displays planned for the day include the SkyLife air ambulance, the Madera County Sheriff and CHP K9 teams, Sierra Ambulance, the Madera Support Unit, Forest Service patrol unit, CHP patrol car, Madera County Sheriff Search and Rescue, and engines and equipment from Station 11 and the Rancheria. The helicopter is scheduled to land at noon, with K9 demonstrations set for 11:40 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
But perhaps the most anticipated part of this event is the huge selection of items available to win in the drawing, and the opportunity to bid in the silent auction. Local merchants are always generous with their donations in support of our firefighters.
There will be display in honor of long-time Station 11 firefighter Frank Verduzco, and donations can be made to the Frank Verduzco scholarship fund.
There will be T-shirts for sale with the Station 11 logo, and you can also order your reflective house number signs, to ensure first responders can find you when you call for help.
The BBQ will be served at the North Fork School’s Kennedy Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the drawing starts at 2 p.m. Tickets for the BBQ are $10 at the door, $8 presale. Seniors are just $8 and children under 10 are $5. Contact any NFVFDA member for tickets. Presale tickets will be available in front of the Post Office on Friday and Saturday, Apr. 20 and 21, from 11 a.m to 1 p.m.
For more information call Linda Gott-Maddox in the evening at 559-877-4458, or Sandy Chaille at 559-877-7796.
As always, community members are invited to join the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary and/or donate to the cause at any time.
