Bartley BBQ
A Bite of Bartley BBQ History
by Scott Bartley
| The Bartley Barbeque was started by my father, Charter Member Bob Bartley, as a way to encourage fellowship and also as a way to raise money for Rotary Foundation. It started in the '70s and is traditionally held in the Fall. |
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| Bob would host the event at the "Millibar Ranch" and pay all the costs involved with it, with the money raised from the price of the dinner and a raffle going to Rotary Foundation. When it started, it was a "stag" party (no spouses). This of course evolved into the current politically correct event (although I have serious doubts that it ever lived up to the rumors of being a "stag" event). | ||||||||
| The feast was always beef, which was cooked in a pit. The day started before dawn with the filling of a 6-foot deep pit with firewood. The fire was stoked until around 11:00 AM, at which time, the carefully prepared beef was thrown onto the hot coals and then covered with earth. It would roast underground for the rest of the day while my Dad carefully groomed the surface of the pit to match the ground around it. The rest of the area was set with tables and benches made of hay bales borrowed for the day. | ||||||||
| After the party started and libations began, the real job of the day started. In the days before Crab Feed clean up duty, all red badges were required to find the beef! Armed with shovels they were charged with "finding" dinner. This was almost always successful. Only one year was the beef buried so well that it was never found. | ||||||||
| After my father sold his ranch, Pete Hoogland hosted the event at his place for a number of years. | ||||||||
| Currently, Ginny Pitts' Harvest Moon Vineyards is the home of the Bartley BBQ. It is still one of the primary "social" events of the club and a great chance for fellowship among members. |