The Center is on Sept. 10 hosting its 14th annual barbecue dinner, which is a fundraiser for the senior center at 803 Kingwood Street in Brainerd. The dinner will include barbecue ribs or chicken, cole slaw, corn on the cob, beans, a corn muffin, pie and ice cream. People can either dine in or do curbside pickup. There are two seatings: 5-6 p.m. and 6:30-7:30 p.m., and each seating can hold up to 150 people. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at the front desk of The Center.
“This is a great fundraiser for The Center,” said DeAnn Barry, executive director at the senior center. “We find sponsors to cover the costs of the items for the meal and every ticket sold is profit for The Center. This year the proceeds will go to work on better technology — office computers, monitors, upgrades, which, like all nonprofits, we've used what we can to get us through. It'd be nice to have things that are a little newer, run a little faster and a little bit more up to date.”
Business sponsors for the dinner include Good Neighbor Home Health, Gracewin Corporation Living, Advantage Seamless Gutters and Thrivent. These businesses also send over volunteers to help with the dinner itself. Some businesses have been volunteering for the dinner for years.
The fundraising dinner began in 2007 when Herb Owens made a barbecue rib dinner for the senior center. That first year they had 60 people attend the dinner. In 2008, Owens had some health issues and Brainerd resident Mike Jay joined in on the smoking of ribs.
“We lost Herb so since 2009, Mike took over and has been doing the smoking,” Barry said. “A couple years ago, he added chicken for those who don’t like ribs. It has been a great addition.”
Jay is known in Brainerd for his specialty ribs, Barry said, adding the other great addition to the dinner are pies from The Barn.
Pies from The Barn in Brainerd will be plenty at The Center's annual barbecue dinner set Sept. 10 at The Center off Kingwood Street in Brainerd. Jennifer Kraus / Brainerd Dispatch
The late Gary Kinney of The Barn began making pies in 2013 for the fundraiser. Kinney, who died four years ago from stage 4 lung cancer, baked a variety of pies including blueberry, peach, pumpkin, pecan, apple, rhubarb and raspberry. All the pies are his mother Gladys Kinney’s recipes. Since his passing, his wife Karen Kinney has taken over.
“About two years before (Gary) passed, he had to cut back at the restaurant some so he taught me how to make the pies,” Karen Kinney said. “I never made a pie in my life until Gary taught me. When I first started doing them it was kind of hard, but now it is nothing. ... I’ve been doing them for six years now.”
Karen was a waitress at The Barn when she met Gary, the owner of The Barn, and they later married. Karen said Gary’s ribs hurt and when he finally went to the doctor he was diagnosed with cancer. He died 90 days later on July 24, 2017.
“Cancer is so scary,” Karen Kinney said. “It’s horrible. ... Gary was such a great guy and he was a way better talker than I am. He was the pie guy. I never want to let his memory die.”
Karen Kinney said making pies is a piece of cake for her right now. She will make about 40 pies for the event and they will be fresh.
Pies from The Barn in Brainerd will be plenty at The Center's annual barbecue dinner set Sept. 10 at The Center off Kingwood Street in Brainerd. Jennifer Kraus / Brainerd Dispatch
“I’ll start rolling the dough probably on Wednesday and then go in about midnight on the day of the event and make the pies,” Karen Kinney said. “I also have a private event that Saturday where I have to make another 30 pies.”
Karen Kinney, who has been at The Barn for 21 years, said she enjoys helping out the senior center with their fundraiser. She said she is always hard on herself as she wants the pies to be perfect, but people are always telling her they are delicious.
The Barn currently is open six days a week — closed on Tuesdays. The business is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.
Jay became fascinated with grilling and smoking food and he began doing it competitively almost 25 years ago. He happily stepped in to help the senior center in 2008 when Owen’s health declined.
"I really believe in the senior center," said Jay. “It’s a great place and is great for our community and it’s something I have committed to.”
Jay said he was at a Jaycees conference in Louisville, Kentucky, over two decades ago when he went to a restaurant called Sticky Fingers and when he tasted their ribs he was hooked.
Brainerd resident Mike Jay has been making barbecue ribs for The Center's annual fundraising dinner since 2008. Contributed / Mike Jay
“I’m the type of person who goes back into the kitchen and says, ‘Hey man, what did you guys do?’” Jay said. “The next night we were supposed to go to a steakhouse and I told my wife, ‘We’re going back to that rib place. I got to have them.’ We went back there and the same guy was working and I talked to him more about the ribs. I already had a fascination for ribs and then after eating the ribs at this place it inspired me more.”
Jay said he received a lot of tips and pointers and got a lot of recipes. The rest is history, as Jay has made many ribs for many years. His favorite sauce is called Blues Hog and it is made in Missouri. Jay said this sauce has been used in competitions all over the U.S. and more than 80% of the cooks use this sauce in one way or the other.
Jay will begin preparing the ribs in a dry rub the day before and then smoke them on the day of the dinner. He will make about 80 racks of ribs.
Jay and his wife, their children and their 14 grandchildren will help out with the dinner.
“They’re always good help,” Jay said of his family. “In fact, I have told them if they can’t commit, I won’t commit (the time for the dinner). I told them if they want to step back at any time we can. But they all believe in The Center, too.”
JENNIFER KRAUS may be reached at jennifer.kraus@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5851. Follow me at www.twitter.com/jennewsgirl on Twitter.
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The Center to host its BBQ dinner Sept. 10 - Brainerd Dispatch
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