Fundraiser held for DeAnn VFD

By Staff, 06/1/20 9:30 AM

              

DEANN – Visitors flocked to the DeAnn Volunteer Fire Department Saturday for what is hoped to become an annual event.

Justin DeVenney, chief of the DeAnn VFD, said the fundraiser is to help raise money so the department can purchase turnout gear and extracation equipment. This BBQ dinner, he added, is a return to a tradition that hasn’t been done in around 20 years. It didn’t matter as people came for the pulled pork and BBQ chicken sandwiches that came with baked beans, chips and a drink. There were also hot dogs for youngsters who may not have wanted the other fare. Parking at the VFD was at a premium as people were ready to get out of their houses and mingle.

DeVenney said this fundraiser is just to get things started and in no way could raise enough to meet the department’s needs. New turnout gear would cost around $66,000, while a full set of extracation equipment would run $30,000. The department, he added, will start by purchasing a base unit and go from there.

Along with the BBQ dinner, an auction was held to help raise money. The high point of the night was the naming of the winner of a raffle for a 6.5 Creedmore Savage rifle. DeVenney said the department sold 330 chances on it.

Forty pounds of chicken and 84 pounds of pulled pork were cooked for the event.