Oxford Cattlemen celebrate 60 years of annual beef barbecue in Tavistock

Volunteers cook hundreds of cobs of locally grown corn outside the Tavistock Memorial Hall in preparation for the Oxford Cattlemen's 60th annual beef barbecue. Gary West photo

By Gary West

The Oxford Cattlemen celebrated a milestone in Tavistock recently as their annual beef barbecue marked its 60th year.

More than 750 beef lovers turned out for this year's fundraiser at the Tavistock Memorial Hall, where volunteers served up generous portions of locally prepared beef along with corn on the cob, potatoes, coleslaw and dessert.

As vehicles made their way around the memorial hall to pick up their takeout meals, local 4-H beef club members helped direct traffic and encouraged visitors to support their fundraising draw.

Behind the scenes, Oxford County beef producers, their families and other volunteers were kept busy preparing and packing hundreds of meals.

More than 400 pounds of outside round beef was prepared for the event, while volunteers outside cooked hundreds of cobs of locally grown corn.

The annual barbecue serves as a fundraiser for local beef producers and has become a longstanding Tavistock tradition over its six decades.

This year's milestone event also comes at a positive time for the beef industry, with local producers enjoying some of the strongest cattle prices seen in recent years.