Barbecues to raise money for local charities

The Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, Atascadero Elks Lodge and the Atascadero Community Band will be back this summer with its annual Tuesday in the Park barbecues and concerts.
This year’s barbecues will span eight weeks and the community band will perform on 11 Tuesdays between June 11 and August 20.
“I like it,” said Vicki Lee, interim CEO of the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce. “It’s like a good ole Sunday picnic.”
The event starts at 5 p.m. with a barbecue of tri-tip or chicken, beans, salad, garlic bread and a drink. Desserts are sold for an extra cost by the host organization. At 7 p.m., the event migrates from the barbecue area near the zoo to the bandstand by the lake.
“There’s that hometown feel,” Lee said.
“It’s a special thing.”
While the event will run as it has in the past, there are a few changes. One is that the salad will not be pre-dressed, there will be a couple of salad dressings on the side. There will also be an express pass, which is a season pass purchased by June 11 for the entire summer of barbecues.
“The person will come in and buy tickets for the whole summer and support all the nonprofits,” Lee said. “They get to use the express line and they get a free dessert.”
Presale tickets are $12 for seniors 60 years old and older, $14 for those 11 to 59 and $9 for children 10 and younger. Tickets purchased at the event are $1 more each.
This is the 24th consecutive year that the barbecues have been happening. It all started, Lee said, because the community band would rehearse at the bandstand during the summer. People gathered to listen to the band and started to bring dinner to eat in the park while they listened to the band.
It then became a fundraiser for community nonprofits. Each week there is a different nonprofit or two that hosts the event. The nonprofit gets all the proceeds made from the event after all expenses are paid.
Tickets can be purchased at the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce or from any of the host organizations.