Participating in the Fourth of July activities wouldn’t be complete without enjoying the Orcas Island Lions Club Salmon BBQ. For 34 years the Orcas Lions Club has slowed cooked hundreds of servings of fresh wild salmon. “It’s all about the sauce and the smokehouse,” notes longtime member Duff Andrews. Each year, following tradition, a group of Lions’ BBQ chefs’ put together the secret sauce handed down by a charter member. “The delicious unique flavor of the salmon combined with a complete meal makes it one of the most sumptuous reasonably priced meals around,” states incoming president and BBQ chair Mike Jonas.

Included in the dinner are traditional sides and for dessert the Orcas congregation of St. Francis Catholic Church will be offering strawberry shortcake. The cost of the dinner is the same as last year-$17.00 for adults, $8.00 for children and $5.00 for a kids’ hot dog dinner. The strawberry shortcake is $3.50 per person.

The BBQ is one of largest fund raising events for the local club. “We give every cent back to the community,” states Pam Harney, incoming secretary. The Lions provide numerous services to islanders such as scholarships, assistance with eye exams, glasses and hearing-aides, sponsoring the Health Screening van as well as providing books and reading to Orcas Island Kindergartners,and other projects too numerous to name.

Held at the American Legion, the BBQ begins after the parade – from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. on July 4. Tickets can be purchased in advance through Cherie Lindholm Real Estate, Kay’s Antiques, Island Hardware and Windermere Real Estate. Tickets will also be available at the parade the day of the event.