Piney River Volunteer Fire Department serves up chitterlings

The first eater at the Piney River Volunteer Fire Department’s annual chitterling dinner fundraiser arrived about 9 a.m. Saturday, well ahead of the traditional noon starting time that heralds a six-hour feast.

The stalwart eaters — that is, locals who have parked year in and year out during the event’s 52-year history, gathered in front of the serving line in the cavernous firehouse beginning at midmorning.

The fire department’s treasurer, Fred Campbell, laughed aloud at one observation that some of the eaters needed ropes and winches to haul their heaping chitterling plates to long rows of white-covered tables dotted with bottles of ketchup and other condiments.

By 11:15 a.m., he had accepted nine donations ranging from $3 to $300 (keeping a ledger in a composition book), as is typical for the department’s key fundraiser, which also is a major social occasion. Last year, the department received a $10,000 donation, which helped pay for a new fire truck.

The new engine arrived the night before last year’s feast at the station on Firehouse Road, detailed with “No. 7.” The department still has the first vehicle ever used, dating to 1954.

It’s a four-wheel drive, holds 1,000 gallons of water, has foam (which actually works better than water on some fire scenes) and will enable firefighters to fire away at flames with hoses up to 2½ inches in diameter.

“The donations are extremely important,” Campbell said.

Nelson County gave the fire department a no-interest loan to buy the engine, which cost nearly $300,000, a sum that would have wiped out the department’s finances, Campbell said.

Besides the chitterlings, the feast included 55 pounds of sliced ham, 60 pounds of roasted beef and hundreds of pieces of fried chicken, and nearly every fixing imaginable.

“We hope we run out of everything,” said Fred Campbell, referring to the more than 2,000 pounds of chitterlings served up by the fire department’s ladies auxiliary and community volunteers.

Despite the bounty of the other foods, it’s the chitterlings that draw local eaters.

“Like my daddy said, we eat everything on the pig except the squeal,” said lifetime resident Wilson Kidd.

“People come from a long way to eat here,” said auxiliary member Jennifer Campbell, whose husband of 14 years, Tim, has been a firefighter even longer. “It’s a pretty big deal,” she said.

Volunteers are essential, she said.

“They’re here every year,” Campbell said. “They don’t even have firemen husbands, but they’re here, and that’s what keeps us going.”s

A point of pride was that several young people were cooking and working for the event, which begins in November with chitterling cleaning.

“They’re learning how to do everything,” Campbell said. “They learn the ropes, so they can come in behind us.”