Next month, the Pembina Valley Humane Society will harness the spirit of friendly competition to raise funds for the region’s furry friends.
Friendly flames
According to Caitlin Parr, the organization’s fundraising chair, the humane society has partnered with Rendezvous Brewery and Taproom for the event.
The fundraiser is called the Highway 3.14 BBQ Competition, an inaugural event that pays homage to the two cities that will go head-to-head in the challenge — Winkler and Morden.
Winkler’s representative in the barbecue duel will be Chef Colin Fehr, and Chef Ryan Wiebe will stand in for Morden.
The structure of the competition
Parr said that for a $30 ticket ($15 for children), attendees will be treated to ribs from each chef, but the competition doesn’t stop there.
One of the chefs will cook with brews from Rendezvous, and the other will use varieties from Blumstein Brewing Company in their recipes.
“You’ll get your plate of food, [and there will be] two sets of ribs on it, but you're not going to know who made which one,” said Parr. “Then you get to vote on which one's your favourite, and you get to eat some potato salad, and an awesome crusty bun with butter.”
Parr added that surprise judges will also make an appearance at the event.
Community collaboration
Parr credits the idea of the competition to the owner of Rendezvous, with whom she said she collaborated on the project.
“She mentioned that this is something that she's always wanted to try and that she really has a passion for animals,” said Parr. “I love to collaborate, and I love to come up with new ideas.”
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The fundraising chair added that she hopes the fresh face of the event has a “reinvigorating” effect on the Pembina Valley Humane Society’s fundraising events at this time of year.
Musical Accompaniment
Along with the barbecued food, Parr said the competition will also feature a 50/50, a “surprise grand prize,” and local music to tie all the festivities together.
“[Fundraisers] are our number one revenue stream, and so without them, we really can’t do too much .... To keep growing the way we want to with this ambitious team that we've got right now, we need the funds to back it up."
-Caitlin Parr on the importance of fundraising to the Pembina Valley Humane Society.
Faces for Radio will headline the evening, and there will also be performances by Ditch and Talladega Gregg.
“We're excited about it,” said Parr. “The community really rose up and supported us there.”
Impact on the Pembina Valley Humane Society
Although the friendly competition will take place in lighter spirits, the impact of fundraisers like the barbecue competition can’t be understated.
Parr said that the humane society has recently been “upping its game” with new community programming, presentations in schools, a trap-neuter-release program, and, of course, the ongoing care of the animals in its facility.
It all requires resources to accomplish.
“[Fundraisers] are our number one revenue stream, and so without them, we really can’t do too much .... To keep growing the way we want to with this ambitious team that we've got right now, we need the funds to back it up,” she said.
The details
The inaugural Highway 3.14 BBQ Competition takes place September 6th at the Suncatch Plaza in Morden.
For more details, click here.
With files from Ty Hildebrand and Jayme Giesbrecht