BY JANE BLOODWORTH ROWE
BACK BAY — The 48th Annual Creeds Ruritan Club Barbecue and Craft Show, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, March 16, promises the same food and comradery that locals have come to expect from this event for nearly five decades.
The menu includes barbecue, coleslaw, hush puppies and baked beans, and meals are available to eat-in or take-out. A North Carolina-style barbecue, popular among many local residents, will be provided, according to event chairman Robert Vaughan.
Ruritan Club member Don Horsley, who prepares the barbecue, said that it’s always prepared by the same method that the club members have developed over the years. He starts with about 1,200 pounds of Boston butts, which he cooks over gas.
The sauce, Horsley said “is just a recipe that we developed. We just put ingredients in until the color gets right.”
Ruritan Club members make all of the food from fresh ingredients, and Vaughan conceded that it takes a lot of cabbages to make the coleslaw.
“But we go through it pretty quickly,” he added.
The Virginia Beach 4-H Livestock Club will sell baked goods for dessert. Local crafters will also display their products at the event, and there will be hats, shirts and decoys for sale.
The event is a major fundraiser for the Creeds Ruritan Club, and much of the money that’s raised is used for food baskets that help members of the community or for college scholarships for local youth.
“We give back to the community,” Vaughan said.
The Ruritans expect at least 1,200 people for the event, and Vaughan said that he’s noticed that a lot of regulars return each year.
“We get the same people every year,” he said, “because they like the food and like the atmosphere. You can come out and stay as long as you want.”
The donations are $12 per meal, and a 4-lb. bag of barbecue is available for $28. This take-out barbecue freezes well, Vaughan said.
The Ruritan Club is also looking for sponsors for the event, which is held at the Creeds Ruritan Community Complex at 1057 Princess Anne Road.
Tickets can be purchased online at creedsruritan.com, from Back Bay Auto Repairs, Pleasant Ridge NAPA or from club members. Tickets also can be purchased at the door.
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