Wild Game Dinner cooks up something good

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. David Tart
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  More than 90 Laughlin volunteers came out to support the 23rd Annual Wild Game Dinner held at the Del Rio Civic Center Dec. 3.

The dinner is the largest single fundraiser for Del Rio Chamber of Commerce each year. In addition to the dinner, the chamber raffled off 100 guns at an approximate value of $50,000, according to Tod Townsend of the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce special projects committee and Military Affairs Association.

"Along with being one of the largest fund raising events, it is also one of the largest community events," said Kurt Lemp, MAA president. "We cook about 2,000 pounds of meat ranging from turkey to exotic game and will serve around 1,300 people."

The event also brings the community together. Volunteers from the local community and Laughlin work side by side during the event. Volunteers arrived as early as 6 a.m. to prepare food for the event, and stayed until midnight.

"There are a lot of volunteers from Laughlin who have really jumped in the last few years and have taken a lot of pressure off the staff here," said Townsend.

"It really is fantastic to have an event like this where the base and community interact," said Lemp. "We have Laughlin's Chief Master Sergeants out here deep-frying turkeys, other volunteers cutting meat and, in general, just getting dirty together. It is an event that really brings Del Rio and Laughlin together."

With more than 90 volunteers from Laughlin coming out to support the event, there was never a shortage of hands.

"We are here for over a year, and we should learn about the community that we are living in," said Morgan Emerson, of the 47th Training Student Squadron. "This event is a great opportunity to come out and make an impact in that community."

The sentiment of coming out and supporting the community was shared by many of the volunteers. Col. Tom Murphy, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, summed up the mood of the day.

"This is the reason why the relationship between the base and the community is so good. It is events like this that build great friendship and camaraderie between the community and the base," Murphy said. "This one of the many reasons why I love it here."