The banquet hall of Dartmouth Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9059 was full of food and fun as the Auxiliary Guild hosted its annual chicken barbecue at the Cross Road gathering spot on Sunday.

Auxiliary President Terry Caton said she was very pleased to see such a high turnout, noting that there were 79 tickets sold for the event.

“Just one shy of 80,” she said with a smile.

Preparations for the lunch began the day before, with members of the auxiliary working on the sides. Cooking the chicken started on Sunday at 9 a.m., with volunteers roasting 40 chicken halves in a wire rack over a charcoal pit.

“I’m probably going to smell like chicken for the next week,” said Kathy Rufflie, who helped flip the poultry.

Fellow rotator Joanne Noormora noted that the process took about four hours to complete.

“It was tiring,” she said. “But it was definitely worth it.”

Along with the chicken, patrons were served potato salad made on site the day before and fresh watermelon, something post commander Joseph Toomey gave rave reviews for.

“It has the perfect amount of water in it,” he joked.

Dartmouth resident Joanne Dillingham also enjoyed the lunch but said her favorite part of the afternoon was spending time with her family.

“I live alone, and it gives me a place to go,” she said. 

Dillingham said she’s also a fan of the monthly meat raffles held at the VFW, mostly because she tends to win them.

“She still has a rack of ribs in her freezer,” Rufflie said.

All proceeds from the lunch will go toward various veterans' causes, Caton said. One of the main programs is aiding the Dartmouth Council on Aging with its efforts to assist those who have served.

“This helps them buy food for all the seniors and veterans that go to the [center],” Caton said.

Caton added that the Auxiliary plans to hold additional food-based fundraisers later this year, including its annual meat pie dinner in October. There are also plans for a penny sale in November and a craft fair in December. 

“Be on the lookout for those,” she said.