Washington Twp FD hosts annual Mother’s Day Chicken BBQ
ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Hundreds gathered to enjoy family, friends and food on a beautiful Mother’s Day morning.
The Washington Township Fire Dept. held their 49th Annual Mother’s Day Chicken BBQ, and fire Chief Gene Hanning says they got everything they hoped for with their event today.
“We’re having our annual Mother’s Day Chicken BBQ. We cook 1,200 chicken halves, and we’re just about sold out and it’s about 25-after-12, and great weather, and a great turnout. Couldn’t ask for anything any better,” said Hanning.
Hanning says in addition to those that dine-in at the station, they also deliver meals to some within the county. In total, they serve approximately 1,200 meals, about half of which are carry-out meals.
He also says that the event takes about three months to prepare for, it doesn’t just happen overnight. However, they did have to work overnight to make sure the chicken was perfectly cooked for all those that would be attending.
“Well we lit the pit a little bit after midnight, and then about 2 o’clock, 3 o’clock start chickens and we try to get those done, and then we marinate and steam up through them until they’re ready to fall off the bone,” Hanning explained.
Giving back to the community is a being reason that Hanning and his staff put this event together. He says that he wants to thank those community members that support them, while the funds they raise are put back into the department to maintain the station and equipment that are necessary to effectively service the community. Additionally, he makes sure to support local businesses when putting the event together by purchasing the chickens from Phillip’s Meats and other items from J & E Distributors and Mattingly Foods.
The Washington Township Fire Dept. was formed in 1965, and they’ve been putting on the event since 1968. Chief Hanning thanked all those who helped make the event a success again, as well as all those came out. He says they look forward to selling it out for many years to come.
