Murrieta Fire Department Barbecue Turns 65

Cook it and they will come.

The line Sunday for $8 plates of deep-pit smoked barbecue beef brisket snaked from the on Juniper Street to and beyond for the Murrieta Fire Department's annual barbecue.

Last year, at least 2,500 people enjoyed the goodness that was smoked over an open fire pit 24 hours beforehand. The department was still tabulating a final count from this year, said Murrieta fire Chief Matt Shobert.

See contributed video coverage of Sunday's event

The gathering started 65 years ago as a way to raise money for the then-volunteer fire department, said Marvin Curran, the department's second fire chief, who retired in 1992. His son, Richard Curran, is a Murrieta fire captain.

"I'm glad to see they are still carrying on the spirit," Curran told Patch. "I am glad that I am still here to be at the 65th."

In addition to enjoying the food, community members from Murrieta and neighboring cities traveled through rows of vendor booths.

Near a booth dedicated to local history, Curran, 83, motioned to a display of an original white jumpsuit worn by volunteer Murrieta firefighters.

"Mainly it was just something to identify us for the barbecue. We didn't have uniforms back then. So they identified us with those that way," Curran said.

As the attendance of the barbecue has grown through the years, its purpose has changed. The volunteer department started in 1947, around the same time there was a push to build a city hall, he said.

"For many years we gave half the proceeds—we maybe only made $300—to the Town Hall Association for them to run for another year. We did that for a number of years," Curran said.

"Then later on we set up a tax district for monies and the barbecue became more of a social thing. We still wanted to raise money—we'd spend that money not for firefighting essentials but for things that were needed for the comfort of the department that we couldn't spend tax dollars for. Then as the building started, the district got more and more money and you see where the department is now."

Now the money raised from food sales is put back into a fund for following years.

The historical significance of the event was not lost on Chief Shobert, who on Sunday enjoyed his second year being a part of it.

"When we showed up this morning part of me felt like we were stepping back in time 25 or 30 years," Shobert told Patch. "For some reason this event just takes us back to a time when things seemed a lot simpler than they are today."

Shobert , when planning for last year's barbecue—the 64th—was already underway.

"It was my first time being associated with this event so I didn't see some of the pre-work that goes into it," he said. "This year I learned it is a lengthy, long facilitated process—everything from leasing the booth spaces to cooking the meat.

"The fire was lit at 10 p.m. Friday and they were putting the meat on at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, so it has cooked for 24 hours. Some of them spent the night out there in the rain."

The fire pit is at the city's maintenance yard, he said. He thanked the Fire Explorers—youth between 14 and 18 who aim to became firefighters one day—and the off-duty Murrieta firefighters who volunteered their time to man the pit.

Shobert said he enjoyed all aspects, including getting to mingle with many community members throughout the day-long event.

City officials and staff were seen serving up barbecue beef, coleslaw, potato salad and bread.

A live band played in a grassy area, with a beer garden nearby that had locals competing in a corn hole tournament.

A group of Murrieta Elementary alumni manned a booth for the second consecutive year, offering locals a chance to reunite at the event they'd grown up attending.

Behind Fire Station No. 1, a new aspect to the event had its debut.

The crew from Fire Station No. 2 arrived to perform a "room and contents drill." A 10-foot by 15-foot plywood box was set up to resemble a living room—then lit on fire. Black smoke billowed from orange flames as the crowd stood by. Firefighters rushed to put the fire out.

"It was to allow the public to see how quickly a fire can spread," said Capt. Dan Lopez, who has been with the department for 12 years. "They got to see how quick it was, how hot it was and how quick we put it out."

Following the drill, children as young as 3 and 4 years old shot water out of fire hoses with the assistance of crews.

The always-popular fire engine tours got more fun when children were allowed to sound the sirens.

The 70-degree weather and cloudless skies topped off the success of the 65th annual event.

"This is incredible," Chief Shobert said. "There are a lot of people who came out to enjoy this event today."