Monday, September 2, 2024–4:50 p.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
For the last 56 years, the Knights of Columbus and other volunteers have cooked barbecue, baked beans, and more to benefit charitable organizations.
The annual Labor Day BBQ was held Monday at the Rome Civic Center on Jackson Hill.
According to Greg Armstrong, barbecue chairman, the work to prepare roughly 1,000 pounds of pork, 225 pounds of beef, 150 half chickens, 250 half racks of ribs, 600 quarts of Brunswick stew, and 150 quarts of baked beans actually started on Friday and continued throughout the weekend.
“Friday night we started around 5 o’clock over at the school cooking turkeys for the Brunswick stew,” he said. “Saturday morning we were back at the school to pull the meat off the turkey bones and get the broth for the stew. Then Saturday we set up and Sunday is a big day of cooking. Sunday all night long, everyone is cooking the stew and the hams.”
Since its inception, the event has raised over $300,000.
The BBQ is the biggest fundraiser for the Knights of Columbus.
“Local charities, the church, the school, and there are also some national charities that the Knights of Columbus support,” Armstrong said. “Things like the Wheelchair Fund, Coats for Kids, the Special Olympics, aid for veterans and things like that which are nationally supported by the Knights.”
A new menu item, pork carnitas, was added for 2024.