NORTH FORK – It’s time for the annual Tri-tip BBQ, put on by the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary. This year’s event is on Saturday, Apr. 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Fork School.
This is the major fundraiser for the Auxiliary, whose members 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.
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roviding 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. Stop in and meet your Station 11 and Cal Fire firefighters.
Besides the excellent fare at the BBQ – including tri-tip, beans (with vegetarian option), vegetarian pasta salad and green salad donated by the chef at the Blue Heron Restaurant in YLP, plus a roll, drink and coffee – the Women’s Club will be there with a table full of home made 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.
CHP Officer Matt Fowles with K9 Patiko – photo Gina Clugston
Special displays planned for the day include the SkyLife air ambulance, CHP’s H40 helicopter, the Madera County Sheriff’s and/or CHP K9 team, Sierra Ambulance, a ham radio setup, the Madera Support Unit, Search & Rescue, and engines and equipment from Station 11 – all as available.
The helicopters are scheduled to land at noon with K9 demonstrations to follow.
Packed house for NFVFDA raffle and silent auction – photo Gina Clugston
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, whom we lost in 2015, and donations can be made to the Frank Verduzco scholarship fund.
There will be T-shirts for sale with a brand new 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.
Matt Watson, Tom Wheeler, Augie Capuchino and Sandy Chaille with new Engine 611 – photo Gina Clugston
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 at the Post Office on Thursday and Friday, Apr. 20 and 21 and again on Apr. 25 and 26, from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. each day.
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.
