Nothing better than enjoying a meal and helping a child
1/17/2012There's no apparent connection between elk steaks, turtle soup, the January doldrums in Ohio, and a kid in desperate need of a hearing aid -- until a bunch of folks get together to enjoy the fine exotic fare, fend off the winter blues, and raise funds to help a very worthwhile cause.
The Fort Meigs Sertoma Club makes that link between food, fun, and a vital charity a straight line when the group holds its 38th annual Wild Game Dinner on Friday at Holland Gardens, serving wild boar, deer, alligator, buffalo, and that elk and turtle.
"It's a really good event, but the best part comes afterward when we're able to help out in some way in the Toledo area," said George T. Damasco III, president of the local Sertoma chapter.
"With the money we've raised at these wild game dinners, we've been able to buy hearing aids for a young person who couldn't afford it, build wheelchair ramps, or just tailor our donation to meet the needs of the community."
Sertoma's primary fund-raiser each year is the wild game meal, which is a rite of late winter for a number of groups and organizations in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.
"A lot of our members are outdoorsmen, so most of the meal is donated by them," Damasco said. "This gives them a chance to share the results of their hunting and fishing trips, and it gives everyone else the opportunity to sample some wonderful foods they might not find anywhere else."
Damasco said the wild game meals also provide a temporary respite from the chronic case of cabin fever that afflicts a lot of outdoors aficionados this time of year.
"This comes at a good time, because there's a lot of solitude in January and February, and this type of event brings people together to socialize, enjoy some great food, and talk about the adventures outdoors in the months to come."
The Southside Sportsmen's Club will hold their Sixth Annual Wild Game Dinner on Feb. 18 at the Millbury Fireman's Rec Hall. The menu is a smorgasbord of pheasant, rabbit, venison, and turtle, along with elk, buffalo, and boar. As with most of the winter game meals, there will be door prizes and raffles throughout the course of the evening.
The Toledo Club puts on its wild game meal on Feb. 9, and the house chef will prepare locally caught trout along with duck, antelope, and the South American pacu fish. There also will beantelope, bison, elk, and goat cheese cake.
The event is open to club members and their guests, and the evening includes a blank-canvas auction of a creation by internationally acclaimed wildlife artist Harold Roe of Sylvania. Roe will put together a custom creation at the request of the winning bidder.
The Mudjaw Bowmen have their23rd annual Wild Game Dinner set for Feb. 4 at the club on Benore Road. The 38th installment of the Gonya-Hull Game Feed took place recently at the Fremont farm of Charlie Gonya and drew a crowd of about 550, including guests from Texas and Florida.
The Gonya-Hull event uses the proceeds from the dinner, plus the numerous raffles and auctions that accompany it, to fund the athletic awards at both Ross and St. Joseph Central Catholic high schools and to honor outstanding individual athletes in the football programs at both schools.
"Like most of these wild game dinners, we rely on an army of volunteers who jump in and help, and a bunch of generous donors who contribute the services to make the event possible, the wide variety of food we prepare, and the items for the auctions," Charlie Gonya said.
"Of course, there's a great meal with some dishes you can't find at any restaurant, but these game feeds are really about people just getting together to help out some good causes. And it's an awfully good way to spend a cold, winter evening."
Contact Blade outdoors editor Matt Markey at: mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6068.
Wild Game Meal Information:
Fort Meigs Sertoma Club
January 20 @ 6 p.m.
Holland Gardens Banquet Hall
6530 Angola Road, Holland
Tickets: 419-740-0675
Great Northern Sportsman's Club
January 27 @ 5:30 p.m.
St. Clements Community Center
3030 Tremainsville Road, Toledo
Tickets: 419-475-6337 or 419-705-0866
Mudjaw Bowmen
February 4 @ 5 p.m.
6240 Benore Road, Toledo
Tickets: 734-848-4097
Toledo Club
February 9 @ 6 p.m.
235 14th Street, Toledo
Tickets: 419-243-2200
South Side Sportsmen
February 18 @ 6 p.m.
Millbury Fire Hall
28410 Oak St., Millbury
Tickets: 419-410-2514
Also:
Friday Fish Fry Dinners
Ottawa Lake Sportsmen’s Club
9480 Memorial Hwy., Ottawa Lake, Mich.
Jan. 20; Feb. 3, 17; March 2, 16, 30
5 to 8 p.m. each night
Information: Deb @ 517-423-2009