Bakersfield College alumni filled Stramler Park as the 55th annual BC Barbecue began Sept 10.
Becki Whitson, the president of the BC Alumni Association, and Sally Hill, BC Barbecue chairperson, were there to greet alumni and help run the event. According to Hill and Whitson, the BC Barbecue alone raised roughly $13,000 in scholarships last year.
“We’re very excited about it so far,” said Whitson. “We expect attendance to be less this year what with changes in the economy, but it looks like a great turnout.”
One thing the association wants to change for future events is to have more student interest and involvement. “Students who go to BC don’t realize these things are for them, too.”
Herb Loken, alumnus and former BC athletics director, was there to support the school and the athletics department. “I remember when it was a men’s only event, mostly to honor the coaches and players.” While working at BC, Loken had the idea to open it up to a coed dinner and sell tickets to raise funds.
Loken, who is now in the BC Alumni Hall of Fame, said he is very proud to be involved. “The alumni is the backbone of BC, and we’re a family.”
Joining Loken were his daughters, Mary and Amy, both alumni and former Renegade cheerleaders. Mary said they love coming back every year to support their dad and all the BC programs.
Loken hopes in the future the event will be moved to the BC campus where there is room for more people, and more interest will be generated.
Tickets to the barbecue were $20 and included a steak or chicken dinner. Drinks and dessert were also for sale provided by the various sponsors. Music from the Tony Ernst Band played softly in the background as people purchased their food.
Not everyone in attendance was alumni or faculty. Suzanne Devers came to support her son on the BC football team.
“I am very impressed with the number of people here. The food is good, and I’m really excited about being here.” Devers and her family thought ahead and brought their own silverware, having attended this event before and learned the plastic utensils have a tendency to break.
Devers said to increase attendance she would recommend a mailing list for alumni members, and BC students to notify them of the event. She said events like this are a great way to keep in touch with friends and neighbors. “You see a lot of people you haven’t seen in a while.”
In line for food was Greg Chamberlain, the president of BC. “I think it’s important to support all the programs especially when the money is down,” said Chamberlain. He hoped they had a successful turnout, so they can raise sufficient funds despite the economic recession. He explained that he loves coming to the barbecue because he gets a chance to meet alumni who have supported BC since it was founded.
After the lines had settled down and most of the alumni had finished their meals, Hill went up to the front to introduce and thank this year’s sponsors, and Whitson introduced the BC cheerleaders who gave a brief but spirited performance to much applause.
Finally, the athletics were introduced. The coaches got up and introduced their teams and players and talked a little about the first games of the season. Each coach gave the audience a preview of what to look forward to as the season progresses.
After each athletic team had been introduced, the Tony Ernst Band struck up the music again and the guests were left to mingle and catch up with their friends, neighbors and fellow alumni.