YORK COUNTY, S.C. -- People in the Carolinas love their barbeque, but in the tiny community of Lesslie, pulled pork is credited with saving lives.
The Lesslie Volunteer Fire Department has been serving up its BBQ the first weekend in February for the past 54 years.
People come from all over North and South Carolina to buy a plate or sandwich. The firefighters said they spent all week cooking, saucing and chopping the nearly two tons of ham meat needed to serve their customers.
The fundraiser typically nets more than $25,000. Up until a few years ago, when Lesslie VFD was included in a special York County tax district, it was the department’s only source revenue.
Firefighters said when the tax district was introduced, they thought about ending the fundraiser, but the community wouldn’t stand for it.
Without the money raised by this “special recipe” Lesslie VFD said it would not have been able to keep up with the increased service calls. Recently, the number of people living in the Lesslie VFD district has grown exponentially. BBQ money has allowed the VFD to buy needed equipment, and refrain from requesting additional funding.
The emergency funds didn’t seem to be the reason most of the people came to the VFD Friday night. NewChannel 36 spoke with people from as far away as Seattle who claimed this was the best barbeque they’d ever eaten.
Lesslie VFD is located at 3191 Lesslie Highway in York County, S.C. Barbeque will be sold February 4, 2012 from 11 a.m. until it runs out.
