The Northshore Fire Department hosted its annual dinner and auction fundraiser on Saturday.
Since the dinner and auction tradition began in 2008, the event has slowly morphed into both a fundraiser and a heartfelt reunion for its guests.
“We’re just lucky to be in a department where we’re [sustained] by the community,” newly retired Deputy Chief Shane Tackett said.
The fire department serves the southeast area of Cooke County and anyone in need, and it works with surrounding departments and receives volunteers from areas such as Frisco, Little Elm and Valley View, Tackett added.
Among the volunteers is Ethan Peach, who started volunteering with the department as a teenager with his best friend.
He now works full-time as a firefighter in Little Elm and part-time with the Collinsville Fire Department.
“Ever since I was young, my parents said that was the first thing that came out of my mouth was what I wanted to be, and I’ve always stuck with it, so that’s what I love,” Peach said. “That’s what I do, basically, on a daily basis.”
Serving as another highlight of the event is the Garriott family BBQ, which they prepare each year, a tradition attendees have come to know and love.
The barbecue includes brisket, ham, spicy sausage and regular sausage, accompanied by potato salad, coleslaw, beans and several dessert options.
Working together as a team, Garriott credits his wife, mother-in-law and mom.
“It’s been a heck of an adventure; I’ll tell you that,” he said. “Every year it’s gotten bigger and better, and more people come. I think they just like the atmosphere, like the food, like what we do. It’s amazing.”
Garriott learned how to smoke meat from his grandfather, who got the family into serving food at the fundraiser.
“Whenever I was a kid, we’d come here,” Garriott said. “If you made a fire call, it would take 45 minutes to two hours for somebody to get here to us. By then, it was huge. When they opened up the fire department here, we wanted to support them. … We’re all like family.”
The auction portion of the evening offered over 140 items, ranging from sweet treats like honey, brownies and pineapple upside-down cake, to practical items like a haircut or a car wash, and even more eclectic finds such as a yellow ceramic armadillo or a high-heeled chair.
One standout item, a metal art birdhouse, garnered a lot of attention and sparked a bidding war.
Ultimately, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause as Karen Luce and her husband took home the Water Tower Birdhouse Metal Art, the highest-bid item of the night at $2,000.
The couple, who have been attending for several years, plan their trips around the fire department’s auctions.
“We don’t have fire hydrants at our house,” Luce said. “It’s very important that we support the volunteer fire department in case we have a fire. We want them to be able to get to our house and help us, so we always make sure we come out and support this event.”
Fellow attendee, Cynthia Wood, shared a similar response.
“We normally support the fire departments,” Wood said. “I mean, they take care of us. We live in Lake Kiowa, and if Lake Kiowa needs help, they are there.”
Beyond the live and silent auctions, the evening also featured a raffle for a Henry Rifle and a Milwaukee Tool set.
Continuing their annual tradition, the Mountain Springs Quilting Club ladies raffled off tickets for two handmade quilts for the October auction.
The auction and dinner raised nearly $40,000, and the department received a $25,000 donation from longtime supporter, Ann Anderson.
She has attended the fundraisers for over a decade since she and her late husband moved to the area and decided to get involved.
“I have always been a big donor to projects that are dear to me,” Anderson wrote.
Through the involvement, she has grown closer to the Tackett family, who have been involved with the department since the start and remain involved.
“We’re fortunate enough that the community supports us and comes out every time,” Tackett said.
