BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
The Millbrook Men’s Club will host their annual Labor Day Barbecue Sunday beginning at 6 a.m.
For as long as most longtime residents can remember, the Millbrook Men’s Club has been providing two things in Elmore County – Community Service and Great Barbecue.
On Monday, Labor Day, the barbecue, camp stew and other good stuff will be for sale. As always, you are encouraged to come early to stock up, as the items sell out fast.
In an ever-changing world, there are some things with the Millbrook Men’s Club that do not change. That includes the time-tested recipes, including the barbecue sauce created by longtime member Gene Jones, and the Camp Stew recipe which goes back generations.
The event is held each year at the Men’s Club Pavilion located behind Village Green Park and across from the ball fields and the Civic Center. Huge grilling areas, the kitchen and the camp stew pots will be very busy beginning Sunday afternoon and multiple crews will rotate in and out throughout the night. But at 6 a.m. on Labor Day Monday another team comes in, that being the selling crew. Traditionally the lines for food are very long, and usually everything is sold out in about four hours.
Here is what will be offered and the pricing:
Pulled Pork (Bulk Meat) 1 pound – $10
Camp Stew – 1 Quart – $10
BBQ Plate – $10
Chicken Plate – $10
Half a Chicken – $6
BBQ Sandwich – $5
Canned Soda – $2
Eighty years ago, the Men’s Club had its humble beginnings, with area men coming together to make a big difference. Over the years the Club has taken the lead in making utilities available to what is now officially Millbrook. They even helped in creating incorporation of Millbrook as a city.
The Club was part of the first hospital, the first fire department, library, telephone service and so much more.
They have sponsored Boys and Girl Scout groups, created the first community swimming pool (which was located in what is now Village Green Park.) They provide scholarships, grants and donations to organizations.
Recently, they honored longtime member Coach Conrad Henderson with a scholarship in his name for a deserving Stanhope Elmore High School student each year. Henderson was a beloved coach and principal at SEHS for many years. His death two years ago was a blow to many residents and his friends. He was a regular the night before barbecues, sitting in his chair, and supervising activities.
It is always interesting to visit with club members who work the night before the sale. In between turning chicken, or pork, or checking the camp stew, they have some stories to tell. Many of the older members can remember their fathers who were members. They talk about the old camp stew pots lining Mill Creek behind where the Pavilion stands today. The fires would be stoked under those pots throughout the night.
It is much the same today, other than there are modern pots that have replaced the cast iron versions. Throughout the night workers on various teams are busy. A person arriving first thing the next morning will never know how much work went into the finished products they carry back to their vehicle.
With so much history behind them, club members are constantly looking to the future. They continue to support numerous organizations in the area and have regular visitors at meetings asking for financial support. A committee reviews all of those requests and financial donations are voted on by active members.
Every bit of the money raised by the club’s two barbecues every year in July and for Labor Day, goes back into the community.
Long lines are normal….but worth it! Many people bring coolers or boxes to stock up on barbecue and camp stew until the next cook!
A few years ago, the Club dedicated a memorial monument to fallen law enforcement officers in front of the Millbrook Police Department. It was dedicated in the name of James Fezatte, an officer who was killed in a vehicle accident while on duty in March of 2008.
The Men’s Club was a big part of the creation of the Millbrook Memorial Center which today is rented out to groups for parties and gatherings. It is also the current home of the Millbrook Senior Citizen Center until the permanent center is constructed on Grandview Road.
Dedicated in 1950, the land and monument were given to honor the men from our area who died in service to their country in WWII.
It is safe to say that so many services, buildings and events that today are commonplace, would not have been possible without the early members of the Millbrook Men’s Club. Each year at Christmas the Club delivers fruit baskets to the elderly in the Millbrook area.
The Millbrook Men’s Club meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at the Memorial Center building. They are always seeking new members who have a love of the community and a willing to serve. You can follow the Millbrook Men’s Club on their Facebook page, or message them for more information on how to become involved.
