CSUB HOLDS THE 41ST ANNUAL SPRING BBQ

photo by Jon bell

The 41st annual CSUB Spring Barbecue will be held Thursday, May 9 on campus, outside the Icardo Center. The barbecue is held annually to help raise money for the Athlectic Deparment at California State University Bakersfield.

The CSUB Barbecue expects to have more than 3,000 people attending the event. That means there will be a massive amount of food. Six cases of teriyaki sauce, 300 pounds of pinto beans, 10 pounds of chili powder, 25 pounds of onions, 120 pounds of ground beef, 1,400 chicken breast, 2,400 12-ounce New York steaks, and 1,000 pounds of charcoal, according to Assistant Athletic Director Mark Mayes.

More than 75 volunteers from the community come out to make the fundraiser happen. Volunteers will consist of CSUB student-athletes and 40 members of the Bakersfield West Rotary. The members of the Bakersfield West Rotary help with cooking and serving the food. The student-athletes help with setting up and cleaning up the event. The community also gets the chance to meet and greet the student athletes.

“I always look forward to the CSUB BBQ. I remember volunteering when I played basketball here. It’s a time to mingle, especially if  you’re single,” said former basketball player Fred Nichols while laughing.

The inaugural fundraiser was held at the Police Pistol Range on Truxtun Avenue 41 years ago, with 300 attendees. For the next 25 years, the event was held at the Kern County Fairgrounds. In 2004, the barbecues moved to CSUB campus. “When the CSUB barbecue moved to  the campus the idea was to showcase the campus to the community,” said Mayes.

The Spring BBQ has more than 40 sponsors that either donate money or products to help offset the cost of putting the even together. Depending on how much money the sponsors donate, a booth is provided at the event promoting their business or product. Tejon Ranch has been donating to the CSUB Athletic Department for many years.

“The socializing, the good food, and the live bad sounds like a good time to me,” said Richard Daley, director of technology at Tejon Ranch.

A theme will be added to this year’s event, “Salute to the 80’s” will include a best outfit contest, trivia contests and live entertainment by the band Foster Campbell and Friends, which will play numerous hits from the 80’s and much more.

“the social aspect of the even along with great food has contributed to make this a popular event. People run into people they haven’t seen for years,” Mayes said.

General admission for the event is $30 pre-sale and $35 at the gate ont he day of the event. Pre-sale tickets will be available until the day of the students barbecue. Tickets are available on www.GoRunners.com and www.BillWright.com. Tickets can also be purchased at Vons and  Wells Fargo Bank locations throughout Bakersfield.

CSUB students ticket are $15 pre-sale and van be purchases at the campus cashier’s window or by calling 654-BLUE. Students’s tickets the day of the event are $18.