Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
Bringing together local businesses and neighbor of the Tri-Cities region. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Skip Mauney helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around The Tri-Cities.
Is your business serving the residents of Tri-Cities? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpTri-Cities.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
EP # 261: The Second Annual First Responder Rib Cook-Off is bringing a community back together
What makes Darren Clark with the 2nd Annual Rib Cookoff a good neighbor?
\When Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina and East Tennessee, it didn't discriminate in its destruction. For the Elks Mill Poga Fish Springs Volunteer Fire Department, the devastation was total – their station washed away down the Elk River, equipment gone, and their largest tanker reduced to just a frame and wheels scattered along the riverbed.
But as volunteer firefighter Darren Clark reveals in this moving conversation, catastrophe has a way of bringing out the best in communities. "I don't want to just live in a community, I want to be part of it," shares Darren, who ironically moved to Tennessee from Florida to escape hurricanes, only to face one of the worst storm disasters in Appalachian history.
Now, Darren is spearheading the Second Annual First Responder Rib Cook-Off – a fundraising event that transforms tragedy into opportunity. What began as a modest competition last year has exploded into a major community celebration featuring 19 competing teams of first responders, four bands (including Nashville recording artists), and 73 vendors. The friendly rivalry between sheriff's departments, 911 centers, and fire stations has added an element of excitement, with competitors engaging in good-natured "smack talk" as they prepare to showcase their barbecue skills.
Beyond delicious ribs, the event represents something profound – a community's determination to rebuild stronger than before. "It's kind of like a blessing in disguise," Darren reflects. "It's kind of like 9/11 reunited everybody, and this storm did the same thing." The event offers multiple ways to support the cause, from monetary donations and auction items to volunteering time or becoming a vendor for extremely reasonable rates.
Mark your calendar for August 30th (Labor Day weekend) and join the celebration at this highway-accessible location. Whether you come to sample award-winning barbecue, enjoy live music, or simply contribute to a worthy cause, your presence makes a difference. Find "The Second Annual First Responder Rib Cook-Off" on Facebook for all the details, and be part of the inspiring story of a community that refuses to be defined by disaster.
To learn more about 2nd Annual Rib Cookoff go to:
First Responder Rib Cookoff Facebook Page
2nd Annual Rib Cookoff
(423) 302-9783
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monning.
Speaker 2:Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. So today we've got a very special guest. As a lot of us in this region know, we recently went through some tragic events with Hurricane Helene and damage to so much, and the community is coming out in full force to help people get back on their feet, get organizations back running, doing what they were doing before. And today I'm very fortunate to have a person doing just that, and I'm sure you'll be just as excited as I am to learn all about them and what they're doing, because today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, mr Darren Clark, who is a volunteer with the Elks Mill Poga Fish Springs Volunteer Fire Department. Darren, welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:Hey Skip, how are you?
Speaker 2:I'm doing just fine. Doing just fine. Hope you're having a good day.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, like I said, you know there's a lot going on these days to help get Western North Carolina, east Tennessee, back on their feet, and that's that's exactly what you're doing, and so we're very excited to learn all about this project you're working on. So, if you don't mind, why don't you kick us off by telling us about it?
Speaker 3:So back in September, when Hurricane Helene came through, we lost our entire station. It washed down the Elk River, we lost all of our gear, equipment, one of our big tankers, and we're needing to rebuild again. So I'm throwing a fundraiser called the Second Annual First Responder Rib Cook-Off and it's an open competition to all first responders fire, ems, police constables, military. They can be active or former and it's going to benefit the department, but it's also going to benefit all the stations and all the different departments. It's going to be open to the public. Everybody can come out and eat ribs. I've got four bands going to be playing, there's a ton of vendors, a ton of games for all ages and some of the best food you'll probably ever have.
Speaker 2:Awesome, and of course all the proceeds go into a very good cause.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:Awesome, well, let's learn. The proceeds go into a very good cause.
Speaker 3:Yes, awesome, Well, let's learn a little bit about you, darren. Tell us about your journey. Why did you get into the firefighting business? I just like to help my community in whatever way I can. I came up here from Florida about four and a half years ago and I just had a calling to come here and serve. I don't want to just live in a community, I want to be part of it, and I got an invite to go to a meeting and I ended up signing up and I love that I do it now.
Speaker 2:Very good, very good. Well, we appreciate what you do. So and tell us I mean, you've already touched on why we're having the fundraiser because your station got completely wiped out but if you don't mind telling us what your goal is with this fundraiser.
Speaker 3:I don't really have a monetary goal set yet. Anything we can bring in is going to help. I mean the community has been really good to us between churches and community. I mean everybody has stepped up since the storm to help everybody all together. But we had had the first annual Red Breeze cook-off last year and it was to get needed gear and things like that and obviously anything we had purchased from the revenue of that is gone down the river. So now we're starting totally from scratch. But where are we rebuilding? I mean it's coming back.
Speaker 2:Well, you said you mentioned a tanker, including you lost a tanker. Was it a total loss?
Speaker 3:Yes, it's gone. I mean, we found the chassis about I don't know half a mile down the river when we pulled it out. All that was left was the frame and the wheels. We've just discovered part of the cab another probably half mile up the river. We haven't found the engine or any of it, but it was our biggest tanker.
Speaker 2:It was a 3,500 tanker and it went down the river like a toy. Wow, unbelievable, unbelievable. Well, this is you know. My next question has to do with describing a hardship or a life challenge. Obviously, helene has been a huge one, but is that something that you? Wanted to see if you've had a life challenge, or or either professionally or personally, that you rose above and now can say that you're stronger or better off for it.
Speaker 3:I mean, I'm from Florida, so I've lived my entire life dealing with hurricanes and I I came up here and I said I am done with those. I'm 2,100 above sea level, I'll never have to deal with that again. And I got pummeled here. I mean this area was just devastating. But I mean we came together. I'd hate to say that, but it was kind of like a blessing in disguise. It's kind of like 911 reunited everybody and this storm did the same thing. Everybody came together to help one another and we're coming back bigger and stronger than we were before.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome. Well, how can, besides attending, come into the fundraiser? What else can our listeners do to help support your fire department?
Speaker 3:Well, obviously, monetary donations are huge. We're also looking for donations, prizes that we can use as silent auction items, raffle prizes, door prizes. We did set up an Amazon registry. I can send you the link for that. I've got a bunch of barbecue themed items on there from all price points, anything from $10 all the way up to $500. So whatever anybody's comfortable with and helping out with, those prizes again will be used for prizes at the event. Donate time. You know this. This is a big event. It's going to take a lot of hands to pull this off between. We could use people just to, you know, sell armbands and and park people and run games, and you know all parts of it. Or you can become a vendor um, uh, come out, showcase your business or your products and, uh, you know that also brings in money for us through the vendor fees how much is uh?
Speaker 2:would a vendor booth be for somebody?
Speaker 3:it's 40 for a 10 by 10 space and it's $60 for a 10 by 20.
Speaker 2:Wow, that is a really affordable for event marketing. I mean that's, that's not expensive at all, and I imagine how many folks do you expect to have?
Speaker 3:I've got as far as vendors or people, people like attendance. Well, last year was our first annual, which first annuals are tough to get off the ground, but we had it probably two miles off the roadway, like it back in a recreation park, and we had probably 400 people show up to it. This event's going to be right on the side of the highway.
Speaker 2:I'm I'm we're thinking 2500 people will probably come out wow, well you got you said a ton of vendors and bands playing.
Speaker 3:We got 73 vendors right now um four bands um, three of which are nashville recording artists. So we'll have a bluegrass band and we're going to have three country bands.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Well, if any of our listeners own a business, would like to contribute or just personally would like to contribute, either by through donation or by being a vendor, or by volunteering to come out and help. How can they learn more? Where can they go?
Speaker 3:They can go to the second annual First Responder Rib Cook-Off on Facebook and they can message me or call me through there. My contact information is on there. We do recognize all sponsors on the page. Any donation valued at $100 or more. We are given a free vendor space as well. So we've had a lot of vendors come in that way saying we want to help and I'm like, well, then, we'll give you a free space. And they're like, well, that's not why we're doing it, but we give them a free space. So it's a win-win for everybody.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and the official name is the second annual first responders Rib cook-off Rib cook-off. Any competition going on with the cook-off Rib cook-off.
Speaker 3:Any competition going on with the cook-off. Well, right now I have got 19 teams signed up. It's getting fun now because now the smack talk, if you want to call it, that is going on between the competitors. And I've got Carter County Sheriff's signed up, then Johnson County Sheriff's signed up, so now they're dueling between themselves. I've got Johnson County 911, now Carter County 911 signed up. I've got a bunch of fire departments, I've got constables. We're still growing. I think we'll probably get three or four more teams before the event starts.
Speaker 2:Wow Well, 19 different kinds of barbecue man. Is it strictly ribs, or is it pulled pork too?
Speaker 3:There's going to be all kinds of food out there. The ribs are the only thing we're judging on. But people, last year we had chicken, we had brisket, I mean you name it Fried bologna sandwiches. I mean there's gonna be all kinds of sides. Food's going to be amazing this year, I mean, and the best part about it is the public gets to come and enjoy it all Awesome. And the date again Is August 30th. It's Labor Day weekend.
Speaker 2:People should be off work. They have no excuse not to come. I'm hoping, yes, absolutely, absolutely. So you heard it here, folks, the second annual first responder rib cook-off on August the 30th and you can check out the Facebook page by the same name to find out how you can help. And, if nothing else, please just come out and help. Support our neighbors, darren. Thank you so much. Anything else you'd like to add?
Speaker 3:I think that's about it. We just look forward to seeing everybody out there on the 30th.
Speaker 2:All right. Well, darren, thanks again for taking time out of your busy schedule to share this with me and with our listeners, and we wish you all the best with the fundraiser and getting the fire department rebuilt and put back together and appreciate what you're doing, appreciate what you do for the community. I appreciate you, skip.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and maybe we can have you back on as we get closer to the event.
Speaker 3:Sounds good, appreciate it All right.
Speaker 2:Thanks so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom. Or call 423-719-5873.