Grass Valley, CA—The Rotary Club of Grass Valley announces that this year’s Halloween Trick or Tri-Tip Drive Thru dinner fundraiser will be a Santa Maria style BBQ. On Saturday October 26th from 4 pm to 6 pm guests can drive thru at Lyman Gilmore Middle School to pick up their meals. Tickets are now available online only at www.gvrotary.org for $25 per meal or a family meal that serves four people for $89 and must be ordered in advance. The traditional Santa Maria style BBQ is a complete tri-tip dinner with salad, beans, salsa, and garlic bread. Proceeds from the event support local youth programs and the schools we sponsor such as Lyman Gilmore Middle School, Rotary Youth Programs, and local scholarships for youth to name a few.
“This event began as a way to provide a COVID friendly fundraising option for our club and our community to ensure we could continue to support our youth services projects,” said event chair Ed Pinto. “The event was so popular we have continued it each year. In addition, club members sponsor meals for the Salvation Army’s Booth Center families that evening. We encourage everyone to dress up in costume as you drive through. Our club members will be dressed up as you pick up your meal.”
Santa Maria-style barbecue is a regional culinary tradition rooted in the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County on the Central Coast of California. This method of barbecuing dates back to the mid-19th century and is today regarded as a mainstay of California’s culinary heritage. The traditional Santa Maria-style barbecue menu was copyrighted by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce in 1978. Santa Maria-style barbecue centers around beef tri-tip, seasoned with black pepper, salt, and garlic before grilling over coals of native coast live oak, often referred to as red oak wood.
The Rotary Club of Grass Valley provided funds to local nonprofits and schools to support youth services. Recently, the club supported the development of the NEO Youth Center at Bright Futures for Youth and is continuing to support the patio and garden projects. The club also sponsors Lyman Gilmore Middle School including the student of the month and has funded projects to update the playground, build an amphitheater and fund the garden educator through Sierra Harvest. The Rotary Club of Grass Valley provides scholarships to local youth, supports leadership programs and supports many nonprofits in the community that help local children.