聽 聽 聽The Carlyle Fire Department (Carlyle and R.M. 63 Fire & Rescue) is holding its First Annual Seafood Lobster Fest and Auction Fundraiser, June 6 at the Carlyle Sports Arena.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t's an idea we've been working on for a while,鈥� says Carlyle Fire Chief and native Newfoundlander, Trent Lee. 鈥淭his time, we're selling 150 tickets. If it goes well, we'll probably do a bigger event next year, and maybe even do steak and lobster.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 After cocktails, the five-course dinner begins with a fresh mussels, followed by a bowl of clam chowder and a Caesar salad. The main course-fresh lobster flown in from Nova Scotia-will be cooked by Certified Chef de Cuisine, Dave Powell of Regina, who also happens to be Lee's father-in-law.
聽聽聽聽 鈥�(Powell) does a few of these every year, including one for the Shriners,鈥� says Lee. 鈥淗e's cooked for our fundraisers before, and even though that's been barbequed steak, he does an excellent lobster.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 Powell will also give a short demonstration before the main course on how to dine on a full lobster, and Lee says that while some inexpensive lobster crackers will be available for sale at the dinner: 鈥淚f you have them, please bring them.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 The evening will end with carrot cake for dessert and both silent and live auctions.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e welcome any donations of auction items, volunteers to work at the event, and sponsorships,鈥� adds Lee. 鈥淪o far, we have a framed, authentic, and autographed Bobby Orr Boston Bruins jersey up for auction, as well as a few Saskatchewan Roughriders prints from their Grey Cup win, too.鈥澛�
聽聽聽聽 Lee, who is also President of the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs, says funds raised will go towards the construction of a new fire hall, as well as firefighter training.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he two go hand-in-hand,鈥� says Lee. 鈥淎 bigger facility allows us to have specialized training, such as live fire training. You can train people in (firefighting) theory, but if you don't train people to fight a live fire, you're sending them out there to theoretically fight a fire.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t is a lot of money,鈥� adds Lee. 鈥淏ut if we do this right, it'll outlive any one of us. We need to plan for the future. We need to train new men and women. We have 24 dedicated firefighters right now, but we need to keep attracting more young people annually, simply because sometimes volunteer firefighters' availability may change a bit as they get married and have families, not to mention the growth of the entire area's population.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚n our current area, we have nowhere to sit down and have a meeting or a class. We could also use it as an emergency operations centre, in the case of flooding, ice storms, or anything Mother Nature sends.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淪o far, we've been lucky. We've had a very mild, uneventful winter, but it will change, unfortunately. It's just a matter of time. There are a lot of new challenges, not just the (population) growth, but all of the hazardous goods being hauled by train and truck through the area.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he town is still growing and the fire department needs to grow with it. We've got a lot of catching up to do and we're doing it. We've got fantastic equipment in the hall, thanks to the community. We'd appreciate their continued support, and we're looking forward to having people support our First Annual Lobster fest and auction.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 For more information, to volunteer at the event, to donate an auction item, or to purchase a ticket, contact Chief Trent Lee at (306)-575-8758 or check out Carlyle Fire & Rescue on Facebook. Tickets are $60 each.聽
