Blaine’s Pub Turkey and Ham Cookout Raises Over $4,000

The Blaine’s Pub cooking crew was in full operation yesterday smoking turkeys and hams for appreciative customers for Thanksgiving. Folks from all over the county brought their turkeys and hams to Blaine’s to be cooked by a small platoon of avid barbequers who parked their elaborate smokers in the parking lot adjacent to the side of the bar.

According to bar owner Cody Sturm, the fundraiser cooked 204 turkeys and hams. Customers could bring their own meat and have it cooked for $20. Or, if the customer didn’t have the meat, they could buy a smoked turkey for $30.

The numbers were not completely tabulated yesterday at 5:30 p.m. when we dropped by, but if the Blaine’s cooking crew delivered 204 turkeys and hams for $20 each, the total exceeds $4,000.

The proceeds will go to the Tom Green County 4H programs.

Talking with the Blaine’s cooking crew, I asked what the motivation was. “We do this for the community,” a cooker said as he opened a smoker filled with delicious-looking turkeys. The Turkey Day tradition isn’t the only time the Blaine’s barbeque crew shows up. There are frequent fundraisers for members of the community facing illness and the medical bills that accompany it.

How does one join the cooking crew? “All you have to do is show up and be prepared to work,” one of the cooks said.