September 4, 2009

Kiwanis steak feed goes ‘retro’
Annual event happens Thursday, Sept. 10 at Sorosis

By Neita Cecil
for The Chronicle

     The Kiwanis Club of The Dalles hopes its annual steak feed at Sorosis Park next Thursday, Sept. 10, has a “retro” feel to it.
     That is, it hopes for a return to the heyday era of the event — which is now in its 54th year — when lines for the meal stretched across the parking lot.
     New this year at the event, which runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., is a free hotdog meal for children 13 and under, said incoming Kiwanis Club President Dan McLoughlin.
     “We’re giving away children’s meals with the purchase of adult meal tickets in an effort to make it a more family-oriented function,” he said.
     “I remember as a child going to the steak feed,” he said. That was back in the 1970s and 80s, and he recalls the big crowds and long lines in the parking lot.
     The kids meal comes with the purchase of a $15 adult ticket for an 8 oz. rib eye steak, a baked potato, coleslaw, roll, a drink and Schwann’s ice cream for dessert.
     The hotdog meal also includes a baked potato, drink and ice cream.
     Also new this year will be music by The Dufur Boys, who play old time fiddle music — a mix of country, bluegrass and gospel.
     Players include Herb Watts on bass guitar, Lloyd Eckert on fiddle, Leon Lacefield on banjo and vocals, Tom Graff on guitar and vocals and Ted Gibbs on mandolin and guitar. Joining them for the steak feed will be accomplished Hood River fiddler Donna Reuter.
     With several new features on the bill this year, “We’re hoping for a big turnout,” McLoughlin said. Ticket sales are proving brisk, helped in no small part by a
ticket-selling war between Kiwanis President Dennis Morgan and board member Gary Honald. At press time, they were in a virtual dead heat.
     To purchase tickets, ask any Kiwanian, call Wasco Title at 296-2495, or buy them at the steak feed.
     The steak feed is “a good place to visit with your neighbors and friends that you maybe haven’t seen for awhile,” McLoughlin said. “And you can enjoy a delicious meal and good company in the beautiful surroundings of Sorosis Park, and also support a good cause for the community.”
     The steak feed is the Kiwanis Club’s biggest fundraiser, and the proceeds go toward a long list of local projects. Kiwanis-sponsored projects include the summer reading program, SMART reading program, Head Start RIF Book program/ picnic, Challenger’s Little League picnic, Community Meals, Halloween Haunted House, community parade organizers, bell ringing to benefit Salvation Army, adopted family program, The Dalles Art Center youth program, Col. Wright school program, children’s fair, back to school program, Freedom House, scholarship/leadership training, Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp, Riverfront Trail Pocket Park, The Dalles Wahtonka High School Key Club and The Dalles Middle School Builder’s Club.
     “The more people who attend this event, the more we can help the community,” McLoughlin said.