East Alton Fire Department to Host BBQ Fundraiser

Proceeds support fire department equipment costs as calls keep rising.

Sydney Sinks, News Reporter

Apr 28, 2026 1:55 PM Apr 28, 2026 2:05 PM

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EAST ALTON - The East Alton Fire Department will host their inaugural spring barbecue and clay shoot fundraiser.

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, community members can stop by the East Alton American Legion Post #794 for the event. Eight teams will participate in the clay shoot earlier in the day, and then the general public can join the fun at 3 p.m. at the legion, where you can enjoy the department’s “nearly famous” barbecue and several raffles. Cabin Fever will play from 4–8 p.m.

“It’s a big day, kind of two fundraisers in one,” explained Chief Jeremy Diveley. “It should be a pretty good day.”

The clay shoot, sponsored by Winchester, will take place early in the afternoon before the barbecue. At 3 p.m., the department will begin serving up food, including pulled pork sandwiches, quarter-pound all-beef hot dogs and a few classic sides. Food will be available until they run out.

These barbecue favorites are sold by the department at the East Alton Soapbox Derby every year. People enjoy the food so much that they asked the department to offer it at a spring event, as well, which is how they conceptualized the fundraiser.

There will also be a silent auction, and Diveley encourages any business that wishes to donate toward the auction to reach out. A 50/50 raffle will announce a winner later that night.

But Diveley is especially excited for the gun raffle. He thanked Piasa Armory for their work to secure a Beretta A400 Xtreme, 12-gauge shotgun valued at $2,200. The winner of the gun raffle can take the shotgun, use the credit in store at Piasa Armory, or receive $2,000 cash. Tickets for the gun raffle cost $20 and only 200 tickets will be sold.

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Cabin Fever takes the stage at 4 p.m. and plays through the evening. The legion will also offer a cash bar for attendees to enjoy.

All proceeds from the fundraiser will go back to the fire department for equipment costs. Diveley explained that the equipment they need is expensive but necessary so the department can help in emergencies. He hopes many people come out and contribute toward the department’s work.

“The smaller you are, the harder you have to work, and the more difficult it can be to budget,” he said. “The stuff that we have and we use, obviously, are things that we need to have and use. We can’t not have it. Sometimes we’ve just got to get a little creative on how to get those funds. We’ve been fortunate over the years to have good community partners and a good group of guys who are willing to dedicate their time and their skills to put together some fundraisers like these and hopefully make a little bit of money for the fire department.”

Diveley thanked the title sponsors, 1-800-BoardUp and DataTronics, Inc., for their support, as well as a few other community partners who have gone above and beyond to help the fire department.

He shared that he took over as chief last spring. Over the past year, they have doubled their paid on-call staff and worked hard to make sure all of their firefighters are supported and ready to go in the case of an emergency.

Diveley expressed his gratitude for the firefighters. He encourages community members to come out to the fundraiser on May 2 to show their support and help the department raise the funds they need to be safe and successful.

“We’ve just been busier and busier, running more and more calls. It’s just tough for smaller communities to be able to continue to do that. The way you do it is by having great people on your department who are willing and ready to do what needs to be done,” he added. “We can have a nice spring day and enjoy some barbecue. We look forward to seeing everybody. We hope you can make it.”

For more information, visit the official Facebook event page.