A Mt. Pleasant Lions Club tradition is set to mark 64 years of serving barbecue chicken and all the sides this weekend to raise money for charity.
This year’s event in Island Park is dedicated to long-time Lion Tom Olson, who was key in implementing the event for many years before his death earlier this year, said member Mike Carey.
Olson built a trailer that makes transporting equipment a more streamlined process.
More than 4,000 chicken dinners are expected to be cooked and sold Sunday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. as patrons line up in cars around the park.
In all, the event raises more than $15,000 a year for charitable efforts that support sight and hearing needs as well as diabetes initiatives, Carey said.
Most of the money is distributed locally, with a portion supporting the national Leader Dogs for Blind program.
This year, meal tickets purchased in advance cost $10 while dinner bought the day off costs $12.
The meal includes a half chicken barbecued in pits that morning in Island Park, a baked potato, apple sauce, a roll with butter and a cookie from Robaire’s Bakery.
While service begins at 11 a.m., the “pit crew” meets for breakfast at around 5:30 a.m. and by 7 a.m. the first batch of chickens will be on the grill, Carey said.
“It’s quite a program,” Carey said. “Our volunteers include Sea Cadets, CMU students, our kids, wives...we couldn’t do 4200 meals without a lot of volunteers.”
At 35 years participating in the barbecue, Carey has been at more than half of the events, seeing the evolution as members learn something new each year.
The Lions Club has gotten new pits, a warming system to keep cooked chickens at the correct temperature, a three-line drive-thru system and other tweaks over the years.
“When you’ve been doing it that long and you had Clarence Tuma showing you how to do stuff from the start, you know it’s a system that works,” Carey said. Tuma, who famously opened and operated The Embers restaurant in Mt. Pleasant for decades, was the first to suggest the barbecue as a fundraiser.
While volunteer chefs at the Lions Club event have always used thermometers to test the temperature of the chickens, Tuma was so skilled he was accurate with a different method.
“He used to do it by hand and damned if he wasn’t exactly on. He could just tell what needed a little more time on the grill,” Carey said.
Tuma died in 2016 and among many accolades listed in his obituary, it notes he was give a Distinguished Service Award from the International Lions Club for his volunteer work.
Tickets for Sunday’s event can be purchased in advance from any Lions Club member, or at Ric’s Food Center and Norm’s Flower Petal in Mt. Pleasant.
Those heading into Island Park to pick up meals should turn right at the first intersection in the park and then drive around.