Wild Game Feast a HUGE success!

The Albert D. Downs Wild Game Feast is the DeLand Breakfast Rotary's premier fundraising and community event, and over its 20 years has raised more than $1 million for local non-profit organizations and programs in West Volusia County, Florida.

The 20th Annual Wild Game Feast on May 5, 2011 was a huge success! Thank you to all who came out in support of this fundraising event, held in the Tommy Lawrence Arena of the Volusia County Fairgrounds.

Again this year, with the help of sponsors and ticket buyers, the event raised much-needed funds for local nonprofits.

Wild Game Feast planning continues

Your Wild Game Feast Committee is meeting weekly to put the finishing 'garnishes' on this amazing 20th annual event. Here's an update on what we're up to these days, and how you can help make this year's Albert D. Downs Wild Game Feast one of the most successful in history.

1. Display the 2011 Wild Game Feast Poster - Share the news about the Wild Game Feast by displaying one of our new posters at your place of business. Pick some up at Thursday morning's meeting.

2. Buy tickets online - Please encourage your friends, family and co-workers to purchase their tickets from you or online at www.wildgamefeast.org. Online, you can buy tickets via PayPal or with a major credit card. And, purchase 4-wheeler raffle tickets online, too. All tickets will be available for pick up on the day of the event (May 5) as early as 4:30 p.m.

3. The menu is coming together - So far, we have on the menu fried frog legs, rattlesnake, turtle cooter, prarie chic, gator tail, venison, catfish and hushpuppies; smoked venison, chic wings, pulled pork and turkey; side items of black beans and rice, corn on the cob, collard greens, baked beans, Mississippi cavier and swamp cabbage; cold side items such as cole slaw, hearts of palm salad; and desserts that include sour-orange pie.

4. Sponsor commitments complete - We have successfully recruited more than $45,000 in sponsorship dollars for  this year's feast, and you'll see a full list on our website soon. Thanks in advance for patroning these awesome community partners and local businesses.

That's it for now. Thank you for continuing to spread the word about the Wild Game Feast, selling your Feast and raffle tickets, and encouraging others to participate. 

Sincerely,

Mark

Mark Watts, 2011 Wild Game Feast Chair

(386) 736-7700

Where would we be without our sponsors?

Where would the Albert D. Downs Wild Game Feast be without its sponsors? We'd probably in the woods somewhere, hunting down a deer in off-season and begging for someone to loan us a commercial-sized grill for a few hours. (Who knows what kinds of laws we'd be breaking without that insurance, too. Sean Ryan shutters at the thought.)

Thankfully, local non-profits and Rotary projects will be able to rely on the Wild Game Feast again in 2011, thanks to our generous sponsors! The Wild Game Feast committee has received commitments for tens of thousands of dollars for the benefit of those organizations and projects the DeLand Breakfast Rotary supports.

Special thanks to the following club members who joined me secure vital WGF sponsorships:

Deric Kaiser

Derek Mears

Sean Ryan

Steve Sally

Terry Williams

  

Special thanks to Quality Brands, our title sponsor, who will be providing our adult beverages.

TD Bank, "America's Most Convenient Bank," has generously stepped up to fully sponsor our April 27 VIP / Sponsor Event at the Athens Theatre with at $5,000 gift. Progress Energy has come through again this year with a $5,000 gift, too. And, all of our $5,000 - $1,500 sponsors are listed to the right.

In addition, we have commitments from 33 local businesses and individuals who have committed $300 - $500 to support the event.

Please show your support of our sponsors by sharing the message of their philanthropy

and using their services.

  

Thank you for continuing to spread the word about the Wild Game Feast, selling your feast tickets, hocking raffle tickets, and encouraging others to participate in our 20th anniversary event. 

Sincerely,

Mark

Mark Watts, 2011 Wild Game Feast Chair

(386) 736-7700

All-new Wildgamefeast.org is up and running

We have revamped and restored http://www.wildgamefeast.org/, and the site is up and running! It's just in time for you to share the good news about the 20th Annual Albert D. Downs Wild Game Feast, purchase your tickets and encourage your friends and colleagues to do the same. (Start by clicking on "Forward to a Friend" in the right-side column and share this e-newsletter!)

On http://www.wildgamefeast.org/, visitors can purchase tickets for the May 5 event ($50 each, plus $5 handling per order), as well as $10 raffle tickets for the 4-wheeler give-away (no handling charge). All tickets purchased online will be available at will-call on event day. And you can shop with confidence online knowing all transactions are secure through PayPal; buyers can pay with their credit card or through their own PayPal account.

Also on http://www.wildgamefeast.org/, we've listed our annual Citizen of the Year (who will it be this year?), included information about the charities and programs the Wild Game Feast supports, added FAQ about the Feast, posted a sample menu, included detailed sponsor opportunities, as well as some fun photos of past years' events.

Thanks in advance for your support of the 20th Annual Albert D. Downs Wild Game Feast! It will be another fantastic event, thanks to you.

Now...go buy your tickets!

Sincerely,

Mark

Mark Watts, 2011 Wild Game Feast Chair

(386) 736-7700

Swamp Cabbage: The ultimate Southern camp food

Swamp cabbage is the name given to the heart of the Sabal Palm. The Sabal Palm is indigenous to Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and coastal North Carolina. They are very common and readily available in most areas. They grow wild in such abundance that they are not cultivated as a harvest vegetable.

When you are ready to serve a meal, use a semi-sharp blade to cut a straight line down the "skin" of the cabbage and then peel away the outer layers one by one until you have a creamy white cylinder about 5" inches across. This is the heart of the palm.

Once you have removed all the hard outer boots, chip away at the bottom of the swamp cabbage, as if slicing it for coleslaw. Once you have chipped enough from the end, the raw cabbage will be sweet on the tongue with no trace of bitterness. Be sure you have removed all the bitter parts BEFORE cooking!

When fully cleaned, the trimmed cabbage should weigh from 5-10 pounds depending on the tree it was harvested from. After the bitter parts are gone, shred the remaining swamp cabbage (heart of palm) into a large pot.

After chipping up all that is usable, you should have filled a large pot nearly to the top with chipped swamp cabbage. The most popular recipes for swamp cabbage are boiled swamp cabbage and fritters.

Boiled Swamp Cabbage Recipe

Ingredients and items needed for preparation:
1/4 pound salt/white pork
1 medium sized swamp cabbage
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper.

One large pot with a lid.
One small frying pan to cook the pork.

How to cook swamp cabbage:

Fry 1/4 pound of diced salt or white pork bacon.
Once the salt/white pork is fully cooked, drain the excess grease.
Add two cups of water to your large pot of chipped swamp cabbage and bring it to a full foil.
Add 1 tablespoon of salt.
Add 1 teaspoon of pepper.
Add 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Add the salt/white bacon you have already prepared.

Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. This recipe makes a delicious vegetable and serves 8-20 people depending on the size of the cabbage. Serve hot with any entree, but goes especially well with grilled meats or fried fish.

Source: http://www1.epinions.com/content_4975337604

20TH ANNUAL WILD GAME FEAST RETURNS TO FAIRGROUNDS MAY 5

From 5 - 9 p.m. Thursday, May 5, 2011, the DeLand Breakfast Rotary Club  will host the 20th Annual Albert D. Downs Wild Game Feast at the Volusia County Fairgrounds, 3150 E. New York Ave., DeLand.

The Wild Game Feast has become one of the largest annual fundraisers in West Volusia County, Fla., and typically hosts more than 1,000 people for an evening of wild-game delicacies and camaraderie.

The Wild Game Feast has raised and distributed more than $1 million to non-profit organizations and community groups over its 19 years, including The House Next Door, Volusia Honor Air, and more than 50 other local organizations and programs. 

Tickets for adults are available through club members or online at www.wildgamefeast.org, and are $50 each. Parking is free at the fairgrounds.

Though the menu changes slightly from year to year, a typical Wild Game Feast menu includes smoked pork, fried and smoked venison, venison curry, blackened gator tail, fried gator tail, fried frog legs, crawfish, catfish, turkey, venison chili, pulled pig, fried rattlesnake and Jamaican mountain goat.

Trimmings and desserts have included hush puppies, Cole slaw, baked beans, “swamp cabbage,” corn on the cob, collard greens and sour-orange pie.

For more information about the Wild Game Feast, call Mark Watts, 2011 Wild Game Feast Chair, at (386) 736-7700 or e-mail info@wildgamefeast.org.

New Wild Game Feast Website is up and running!

We have revamped and restored www.wildgamefeast.org, and the site is up and running! It's just in time for you to share the good news about the 20th Anniversary of the Albert D. Downs Wild Game Feast, purchase your tickets and encourage your friends and colleagues to do the same.

On www.wildgamefeast.org, visitors can purchase tickets for the May 5 event ($50 each, plus $5 handling per order), as well as $10 raffle tickets for the 4-wheeler give-away. All tickets purchased online will be available at will-call on event day. And you can shop with confidence online knowing all transactions are secure through PayPal; buyers can pay with their credit card or through their own PayPal account.

Also on www.wildgamefeast.org, we've listed our annual Citizen of the Year (who will it be this year?),  included information about the charities and programs the Wild Game Feast supports each year, FAQ about the Feast, a sample menu, detailed sponsor opportunities, as well as some fun photos of past events.

Thanks in advance for your support of the 20th Annual Albert D. Downs Wild Game Feast! It will be another fantastic event, thank to you!

Make plans to attend the May 5 Wild Game Feast

Twenty years ago, the members of the DeLand Breakfast Rotary Club decided to host an annual fundraiser. They wanted to do something new and different to make their event stand out from the rest. The purpose of this event was to raise money for local non-profit organizations serving west Volusia County, Florida. A unique event would best serve this purpose, and after considerable thought and debate, the Albert D. Downs Wild Game Feast was born!
 

From 5 - 9 p.m. Thursday, May 5, 2011, we will host the 20th Annual Wild Game Feast at the Volusia County Fairgrounds. Over the years, the event has grown into one of the largest annual fundraisers in our area, hosting more than 1,000 folks for an evening of wild game and camaraderie. Together, we have raised and distributed more than $1 million for non-profit organizations and community groups such as The House Next Door, YoungLife, The Neighborhood Center, and Rotary projects such as Volusia Honor Air.

The success of the Wild Game Feast largely depends upon generous sponsorships from local businesses. Again this year, we are counting on sponsors to make this year's event the best yet. Sponsorship opportunities range from $300 to $10,000. Check out all the sponsorship packages here. 

If you know of a local business that may be interested in supporting the Wild Game Feast with a sponsorship, please call me as soon as possible. We are wrapping up our solicitations by month's end.

As always, thank you for your support of the Wild Game Feast. I'll will be in touch again soon!

Mark Watts

2011 Wild Game Feast Chair

(386) 736-7700

New! Sportsman's Raffle at Wild Game Feast

Not only can they chow down on the finest wild game culinary creations this side of the St. Johns, but supporters of the Wild Game Feast also can enter to win a new all-terrain machine through a fundraising raffle, too.

DeLand Breakfast Rotary members soon will be collecting $10 per ticket for a new 4-wheel to be raffled off at the Wild Game Feast May 5. Tickets for the Suzuki Eiger 400 soon will be available at Trophy Factory Plus, DeLand Motorsports and Ryan Insurance & Financial and via all DeLand Breakfast Rotary members.

Ticketholders need not be present to win, but what a shame that would be if they weren’t (such a wonderful photo opportunity!). For more details about the Sportsman's Raffle, or to buy tickets for the raffle or the Wild Game Feast, contact your favorite DeLand Breakfast Rotary member.

Wild Game Feast silent auction to benefit SPARC

SPARC of Volusia Inc. is one of several organizations that benefit from proceeds earned from the DeLand Breakfast Rotary’s Wild Game Feast, which will be May 5 at the Volusia County Fairgrounds.

SPARC (Population Activities and Recreation Council) is a non-profit organization that provides athletic, recreational, social and educational activities to mentally challenged people ages 4 to 65 in Volusia County. The organization, founded in 1999 and operating out of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., serves more than 400 individuals through local programs.

During the annual Wild Game Feast, SPARC of Volusia holds a silent auction that raises funds to support its own programs, and returns a portion of its earnings back to DeLand Breakfast Rotary for us in its mission of “service above self.”

Activities organized by SPARC of Volusia ranges from athletic programs such as bowling, softball, soccer and basketball; outings to Benishek Ranch petting zoo, Stetson University basketball and baseball games; and special events at some of Volusia County’s most beautiful public parks.

The DeLand Breakfast Rotary is proud to support SPARC of Volusia’s important work. Learn more about SPARC of Volusia by visiting them online, callling (386) 409-5409 or e-mailing SPARCOFVOLUSIA@yahoo.com.