Chief Steve Barton carried a piping-hot stainless steel hotel pan heaped with quartered chicken pieces, fresh off the grill to the long serving table into the East Andover Fire Department firehouse. With a just-emptied pan, he returned quickly to the grill, where two men were flipping over a second giant square grill covered with another big batch of chicken pieces.

Indoors, chicken was being served out by Scott Kidder as quickly as you could say “Hi, how are ya?” A steady line of hungry neighbors queued up out the door, buying raffle tickets and meal tickets on their way in and heaping their plates with hearty firehouse staples such as potato salad, baked beans, fresh local corn on the cob, and of course, delicious chicken from the grill. There were seats for about 100 indoors, and even more seats at tables under a couple of tents outdoors. Kids ran and played tag on the lawn near the Rail Trail. Folks sat with their families and their neighbors, swapping news and smiles as the shadows grew long on an absolutely perfect summer afternoon.

The chicken had been grilled to perfection over a large, even bed of charcoal the size of a parking space, under the watchful eyes of the fire crew. At the right moment, they basted the meat over the fire with the “secret sauce” whose recipe has been passed along for at least 30 years. Lloyd Perrault handed out sweet corn on the serving line, and was one firefighter who has certainly been participating since the First Annual EAVFD Chicken BBQ back in 1983, having “joined the brigade” when he was just 14 years old in 1945.

Various Andover institutions and volunteers came together to put together the delicious meal. Firefighter Jeff Hall said 500 pieces of chicken had been ordered through the Proctor Academy food service and then precooked in the well-equipped AE/MS kitchen. The Auxiliary played a crucial role in the preparations, and several members hovered proudly over an seemingly endless array of desserts, from creamy cheesecake to a dark and sweet blackberry crumble.

The annual chicken barbeque has been the major voluntary fundraiser for the fire department for many years, contributing toward replacing and upgrading Andover’s vital self-contained breathing apparatus units this year. It is also a nice demonstration of the community’s appreciation for the vital service that the fire department provides to our community.