A Night to Remember – Firehouse Feast 2024

With the sun going down and the evening breeze beginning its cooling, our community gathered for the “Umpteenth” Annual Pedernales Fire Department Fundraiser. The sponsors, PFD and the PFD Auxiliary, think it’s been a “happening” for 30 or 40 years – before that it was bake sales and garage sales and car washes and turkey shoots and then with a small home-built building, they started playing their instruments and singing and dancing and eating pot-luck suppers. Once, it’s been said, the firefighters (all volunteer then) cut down Christmas (cedar) trees and hawked them and be-ribboned mistletoe garlands along the two-lane gravel TX Hwy 71, and they also said, Willie Nelson sometimes came down and sat in with their own band!

But tonight, we lined up for our very special ”It’s All Good BBQ”, greeting old friends and smiling and shaking hands as we met our new neighbors and enjoyed the aroma of barbecue cooking, all of us, though, still appreciating the protection given us by our fire emergency crews. While the children and adults explored fire trucks and equipment, watching and asking questions, the firefighters handed out souvenirs and cheerfully showed those interested around and helped them try on or work with some of the equipment (just a note to let you know that those friendly firefighters had already been out on three calls that day!).

Then, as the incredibly talented Aaron McDonnell Trio began playing and volunteers stood ready and waiting to serve barbecued beef and sausage, beans, coleslaw, and potato salad while more volunteers made ready two tables overloaded with homemade desserts – all donated by the truly wonderful cooks who live among us – the Fall Feast began!

Both before and after eating, there’s a Silent Auction set up for bidding with very nice items donated by our local establishments and individuals. (The last 30 minutes or so before the Silent Auction closes, it is fun to watch the bidders keeping an eye on their “bids”, making sure someone doesn’t come in and outbid them!)

While people laughed and talked and danced to the fantastic country band, a live auction was being set up with spectacular items.