Beans and cornbread

AZLE — Good times and great food were had by attendees, Azle alumni and FFA families Saturday night at the 16th Annual Beans and Cornbread Dinner and Auction. The event was held at Forte Junior High School Feb. 17 to raise money for a wide range of FFA student projects, activities and scholarships. City council members, superintendents, and local business owners alike enjoyed the homecooked meals, games and auction items that graced the event.

“It’s a great event,” Azle FFA Alumni President Jay Ewing said. “The money we’re raising here tonight does a lot of things for our FFA students. One of the big ones is for the Tarrant County Junior Livestock Show and purchasing and buying animals. We also use the money for scholarships at the end of the year. We support the kids and provide some funding for state contests and leadership contests.”

Ewing recognized some of his old classmates at the packed auction and dinner and did not pass up an opportunity to recommend the program to all who’d listen. Azle High School junior and president of the Azle FFA chapter, Cheyanne Redd, was one of many students to volunteer their time working the event.

“I show pigs and goats and I consider this event really important because the money that the kids get back at the end of the year really helps us go toward our next animals and get to continue in showing livestock,” Redd said. “It also helps our alumni get more publicity for people that come to the buyer’s pool that allow us to do what we do.”

The entry fee for the event was one canned good per person. The cans were later used to stock the Azle FFA donation box near the Azle ISD administration building. Azle FFA raised money with a silent auction, a live auction and ticket sales for various drawings and activities. In total, the event raised approximately $17,000 by the end of the night. FFA leadership, alumni and students spoke about the benefits of the organization and all the hard work members had put in that year.

The Tarrant County Junior Livestock Show will begin Feb. 28 and ends with a livestock auction March 2.