by Danielle Golden Giglio
The first Saturday in November you can smell the sauce simmering and hear the pasta pots boiling for Bayport Boy Scout Troop 329’s Spaghetti Dinner held at Bayport Methodist Church.
The boys turn the parish hall into an Italian restaurant including instrumental tunes playing in the background. Over the four hours of this fundraiser they seated over 500 people that dined on bread, salad, dessert, meatballs and 65 pounds of spaghetti.
The spaghetti dinner is event that the local community has looked forward to for 19 years. The 28 boys in the troop sell tickets and also ad space to businesses for their placemats.
John Horner, Assistant Scout Master of Boy Scout Troop 329 has been with this troop since it started 19 years ago and is thrilled that his two grandsons are boy scouts now. He said, “We are raising money for the troop. This coming year we are looking to replace our trailer and get new camping gear.”
This troop believes in the boys taking leadership roles and they each were responsible for a table at the dinner – taking orders, bringing food to the guests and cleaning up.
New to the troop is 11 year old Anthony Valder of Bayport, “This is my first spaghetti dinner. I have been a Boy Scout for not even a year yet, but this is fun. I never served this much spaghetti before.”
Eagle Scout Peter Welling, 17 years old of Bayport now helps to run the event. “This is my 8th dinner so it is cool to see the transformation over the years. At one time I was the one serving the spaghetti and now I am overlooking everything.”
Checking in on the troop that he helped to found 19 years ago Brian McAuliff could not be more proud of the boys. He started it to run a very traditional program with the real old fashioned scouting disciplines. Past scout master, he is currently on the Suffolk County Boy Scout Council and said, “I beam with pride with this troop comes up. The kids are the leaders and they are making the choices.”
Look for the Boy Scouts next fall to buy your tickets to this delicious fundraiser.
Comments