The Annual Palomar Mountain Volunteer Fire Department Labor Day weekend BBQ and Fund Raiser was a huge success. Here are some promised highlights from the event:We don't know if winning the Hawaii trip could be more meaningful to anyone than this year's winner. Kerri Uglik is a hard working single Mom who divides her time between her US Forestry job and her nine year old daughter Corrin. It was not too long ago that they were having a mother and daughter talk about where they could go together on a vacation someday. They decided on Hawaii. Kerri promised her daughter that they would really work on saving up and in a few years they could go to Hawaii together. We could all tell how much winning meant to Kerri when her name was drawn. You can imagine her daughter's response when Kerri told her the news! Her jaw dropped - she couldn't believe it! The Hawaii trip will be THIS YEAR!
Chris-the-Woodcutter-Marszalek was last year's Hawaii Trip winner. He also won a manicure Read all about it: Click here: 1999 Palomar Mountain PMVFD Barbecue . We just had to have Chris draw the first prize winner's name for a manicure - of course! He pretended to draw a name and called out "Don Phelps"... pedicure, maybe. Now, I've drawn a blank - who really did win the manicure this year? ;)
There were over two hundred prizes donated! Many thanks to all who gave the great prizes. Among the favorites were a couple dozen Daniel Boone style caps from The Store. They were so popular that several went up on the auction block with the father-son team of Dutch and Wes modeling attempting to get the price up!
We had our First Annual Auction with a real auctioneer! Donna Dose was terrific with getting top dollar for a safe and then "The Bear"! Chris had spent several days in front of The Store carving a bigger-than-life bear out of a huge base of a tree. Donna closed the bidding with Earl Walls' final bid. He than made the announcement that he was donating the Bear as a mascot for the Palomar Mountain Volunteer Fire Department! Stop by the fire Station to see this wonderful work of art. Since the event Chris has added some finishing touches. You just gotta see it!
Between announcing Raffle winners we were all treated to live music by two great mountain musicians. Larry Reed, owner of Oak Knoll Campground, stepped up first. Later we were seranaded by Dutch Bergman, mountain man extraordinaire. Next year we should have CD's available, don't cha think?
The BBQ lunch was delicious as always. Many thanks to Wog who donated the meat, our chef Bob Schuster, and the Bean Man, Louie Whyte. Bernadette's Dessert Booth was a hit with her Apple Berry Secret Sundae Sauce on Saturday. The leftovers didn't last long as Raffle Prizes... yum! Lots of people helped make the day a real success - many thanks to all!
We have a new policy: The Raffle tickets that are drawn all afternoon are put back in just prior to the drawing for the Grand Prize. This way you don't have to worry about your 'lucky ticket" being used early in the game. So, start saving up!$!$!!! Tickets will go on sale at the Pancake Breakfast in May and that will be here before you know!
Do you have some stories to share from the BBQ? Just sent them to MountainNews@PalomarProperties.com and we'll get the word out! ~Bonnie
Too often, the hectic pace of our lives blurs our vision of this community and the vigor of its people. Yet, every year, Palomar Mountain musters the energy to host another BBQ. And every year your efforts result in tangible financial support of the fire department.This year, the BBQ earned over $11,000. The department will use that money to pay for daily operational expenses and to save for critical apparatus, such as water tenders. With its new Master Plan now as a guide, the department also will implement strategies to ensure community service well into the future. It's a daunting task. But with the support of its community, as demonstrated by the success of this year's BBQ, we feel confident of the PMVFD's ability to meet the challenge.
I've had the good fortune to visit various fire departments around the country. From Anne Arundle County in Maryland, to our own Palomar Mountain, the one constant, the hallmark, of every successful fire department remains community support. At the PMVFD, we commit ourselves to earning your support, each and every day.
On behalf of the PMVFD, I sincerely thank everyone, not only for making this year's BBQ a success, but also for the abiding support that through the years paved the path of success on which the department now travels. It's a hectic journey. But when we at the PMVFD slow down long enough to look at the pictures on this web site, we see your vitality as a community and your commitment to the cause. We see what makes it all possible. Thank you.
Sincerely, Karl Bauer, Fire Chief
The evening before the BBQ was the annual Firefighter Appreciation
Dinner, hosted by Earl Walls.
Snapshots of the barbecue...
The raffle begins...
The day after the BBQ was the PMVFD annual official business meeting
Photos by Michael Pique. Click on one to enlarge it. CAPTIONS welcome, please email them to me. And high-res versions of any image (for printing) available on request - mail Mike Pique.