A barbecue that began as one person’s attempt to help hard hit beef producers has raised more than $45,000 for farmers and rural food banks.
After more than 80 hours, 300 volunteers and 9,000 hamburgers later, the world’s longest barbecue wrapped up Oct. 30.
“It was phenomenal. It just proves Alberta farmers are tough,” said Dallas Ramey, owner of the Diamond Legends Café, who organized the barbecue as a way to help cattle producers hit by BSE.
There was a continuous line-up of people waiting for hamburgers at the four-day event. Some drove four hours from Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie to Camrose to pick up a hamburger, shake Ramey’s hand and drive home again.
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“They heard it on the radio and came down to support it,” he said.
“It feels really good to have people support this.”
While the temperatures were well below zero at night, the volunteers didn’t seem to mind cooking hamburgers in their parkas, he said.
“It’s the spirit of the whole thing that really makes it amazing.”
The money raised will go to an Alberta beef help fund, which buys beef from ranchers and donates it to rural food banks.
Ramey hopes to have the barbecue recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. He said he wants it to become an annual event, and that next year it will be held during the summer when the weather is warmer.
