THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 8, 1996 TAG: 9609060199
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 58 lines
More than a ton of beef will be cooked and a ton of good beach music will be sizzling, too, when the Deep Creek Ruritan Club presents its BeefFest '96 on Sept. 18.
The Deep Creek Ruritans didn't cancel their popular long running annual barbecue; they just jazzed it up a little.
``It's still our annual barbecue,'' said event publicity chairman Michael ``Mike'' Kirsch. ``But we've made it into something new with the addition of the original Rhondells, Bill deal and `Fat' Ammon Tharp. With their appearance, and they have a large following all over the area, it makes our event more of a festival.''
Kirsch said the inclusion of Deal and Tharp has already been successful. The duo, who during the heydays of the Rhondells in the late 1960s and early '70s, enjoyed national top-10 hits with ``May I,'' ``I've Been Hurt'' and ``What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am?''
``So far, we've sold more tickets in advance on the strength of their appearance than we sold for the entire barbecue last year,'' Kirsch said. ``With the Rhondells, with more corporate sponsors this year and with our change to a bigger location we hope to double our event in size and attendance.''
Last year's barbecue was attended by close to 1,000 people and was held at Izaak Walton Park in Deep Creek. Kirsch hopes this year's BeefFest will see at least 2,000 folks show up for beach music, beef barbecue and their favorite beverage.
They hope to make this into a yearly festival, like all the others.
``We changed the name into `BeefFest' because it falls in line with the others in the city and around the region, like Food Fest and Harborfest, for example,'' Kirsch said. ``We figured we'd better jump on the bandwagon.''
This year's event will take place on the grounds of Buchanan's Auto Auction on Military Highway. A ticket will include live music all of the beef barbecue and trimmings one can eat and a choice of beverages.
``We've got 2,200 pounds of beef to cook, so we're hoping everyone will come out and support us,'' Kirsch said.
Kirsch and his Ruritan colleagues are working hard to make this event bigger and more successful in order to benefit the club's community help projects.
``It all goes back to the community,'' Kirsch said of the event's profits.
In the past the Deep Creek Ruritans have funded four $500 scholarships for Deep Creek High graduates; established three permanent Ruritan National Foundation scholarship funds in memory of deceased club members; coordinated ``Clean the Bay Day'' efforts to pick up trash from local waterways; assisted needy residents to meet unexpected expenses; erected wheelchair ramps and installed mailboxes for elderly citizens; supported local church vacation Bible schools and coached youth sports leagues; volunteered time at the Department of Veterans' Affairs Hospital; and honored Deep Creek's top teacher, citizen and business person of the year.
``Last year we spent a total of $20,000, completed 101 community projects and volunteered over 2,400 man hours of work,'' Kirsch said. ``If this year's BeefFest is successful and meets our goals, we'll be able to do more for our community.'' by CNB