Date set for May 4, 2016
Brookfield, OH—The 27th Annual Strimbu BBQ is planned for Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at the Yankee Lake Ballroom in Brookfield as part of a fund raising effort for the Strimbu Memorial Fund. The event is sponsored by First National Bank.
Since its inception in 1990, the Strimbu Memorial Fund has provided approximately $3 million in support of academic scholarships, local economic development and numerous charitable organizations. At last year’s BBQ, it awarded $38,500 in scholarships to local high school students. This past December, the Strimbu Memorial Fund awarded nearly $130,000 in grants to area organizations and individuals.
“The Strimbu Memorial Fund was created to perpetuate the work of the late Nick Strimbu Jr., who had a passion for leading individuals and economic development agencies in order to attract, assist and retain the industrial base of the valley,” said Board President Jim Grasso. “In addition, when the Strimbu Memorial Fund awards scholarships to area students, we are investing in the life of a person—and that is worth millions.”
This year, the fund will award leadership college scholarships at the annual event in the amount of $2,000 each to qualified high school seniors in 14 local school districts, with an additional $10,000 college scholarship awarded to the overall leader. There will also be two special scholarships this year: a one-time John D. Holliday Scholarship for $5,000 to a Youngstown State University business student and a one-time vocational school $5,000 scholarship in memory of Jacob R. French to a student at either Badger or Brookfield high schools.
The BBQ will once again get in full swing with doors opening at 5 p.m. The food, catered by Jeffrey Chrystal Catering, will be endless and reminiscent of a full-scale Texas bar-b-que with a multitude of appetizers, plus blackened catfish, BBQ ribs, cherry wood fire chicken, smoked turkey breast, pork loin and more.
Dinner will be served until 9 p.m., then at 9:30 p.m., a late night offering of wood-fired pizzas will be served until 11 p.m.
Because of the overwhelming response to last year’s entertainment, this year will once again feature country-rock star Chris Higbee. As a solo artist, Higbee has retained the dedicated, loyal PovertyNeck Hillbillies fan base while attracting thousands of new fans called “Higbillies,” who follow him from show-to-show. His extraordinary fiddle playing became widely known and he was asked to play fiddle alongside music icon Charlie Daniels.
In addition, the night will feature both silent and live auctions, with many unique items such as utility vehicles, travel packages, Lake Erie walleye fishing trips, sporting event tickets and loges, furniture, dinner packages and assorted jewelry items, just to name a few.
Tickets are $90 and are available online at www.strimbumemorialfund.org or by calling Pam at 330-448-4046, ext.134.
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