Saturday, June 13th was a beautiful, sunny day and it served as the backdrop for the Roanoke Valley Republican BBQ at Fallon Park. The BBQ is held annually to meet new people interested in the Republican Party and what it stands for. This year was no exception thanks in part to the large turnout. Several hundred people came out to enjoy Henry’s Memphis BBQ with all the trimmings and to listen to the Roanoke Valley Bluegrass Pickers, a local band. Entertainment for the kids included a large inflatable slide and maze, as well as face painting.
Helen McCurdy, a first time attendee, said, “I appreciated the fact that a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance were said before the meal.” Laura Moore, another first time attendee, said, “I really enjoy the family atmosphere. My son Zachary ran right to the inflatable slide and made two new friends. We were made to feel so welcome right from the start.”
The BBQ also featured several local politicians, among them Rep. Bob Goodlatte and Delegate William Fralin, both of whom spoke to the large crowd. One special surprise guest was the Republican nominee for Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli. Ken drove down from Northern Virginia to speak and let people know about his upcoming debate with the Democratic nominee next weekend. He implored everyone to work hard to elect him for Attorney General, Bob McDonnell for Governor and to re-elect Bill Bolling for Lt. Governor. He said the Republicans have a very strong ticket this year and an ambitious plan to bring jobs and energy exploration to the Commonwealth.
Mike Bailey, an event organizer, said, “Bob McDonnell is the Jobs candidate. He has the job of helping Virginia to prosper by promoting the values of the Republican Party. The Roanoke Valley Republicans are helping Bob by nominating good candidates and increasing the number of people involved in our political process. Today was just such an effort and a successful one at that.” Mike Bream, also an event organizer, said, “We are already reaching out to people with conservative values, people who believe in the Constitution as it was written by our Founding Fathers. We just need to turn this country in the right direction, and this BBQ helped bring people together who can achieve the goal of small government and low taxes.”
Also in attendance were Tito Munoz and his wife Deborah. Tito is more commonly known as “Tito the Builder,” Virginia’s own version of “Joe the Plumber.” He first came to national attention last fall when he came onto the campaign trail for the Presidential election. He appeared with Sarah Palin as she toured Virginia, and Tito has appeared on the Fox News Channel at least six times on various shows. Tito has a very powerful message for his audiences, sharing his personal story of how he came to American from Columbia as a teenager with no money. He worked hard, made something of himself and now owns his own construction company. His tag line is “I was born in Columbia, but I was made in America.” Tito became an American citizen last fall and nothing makes him prouder now that he can vote.
The event was sponsored by the Roanoke County, Roanoke City and Salem Republican Committees as well as the Roanoke Valley Republican Women. For more information on any of these groups call 540-776-3199.