Swing by the American Legion Mitchell Post 281 on Saturday evening for a new fundraiser that’s the brainchild of some of the Island’s younger veterans — a BBQ cook-off with members of the public serving as judges.
US Marine Corps veterans Sean Clark and Tom Spotteck, along with civilian Mark Keerans, were hanging out talking and there happened to be a Legion candle on the table. The next thing they thought of was — hey, we should do a competition to fundraise for the Legion.
Mitchell Post 281 is the local chapter of the national organization. Its non-partisan mission is to provide service to active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces and veterans, their families, and the community
You can support the cause by purchasing BBQ tickets or making a donation at the event, which takes place Saturday, August 28 on the lawn outside the Legion Hall. Tasting and judging begin at 6 PM. Entry is $30 per person, with kids age 10 and under free.
Eight teams compete — you be the judge
Eight teams will be competing for bragging rights — the winners will be declared Shelter Island BBQ Champions. Each team will receive a 15-pound Boston Pork Butt and can cook sides of their choice to create a meal.
In exchange for the entry fee, the rest of us get to serve as judges.
Patrons are encouraged to try each dish and then place their tickets in the containers for their choice. Judging should be based on appearance, taste, flavor, tenderness, and texture.
Judging begins promptly at 6. The winner will be announced by 8:15. Members of the Ladies Auxiliary will be volunteering their time to assist with selling tickets and providing other support.
Keerans, who says he’s been smoking meats since he was 9, knows his way around the kitchen.
“I absolutely love it, but we have some good competition with Lance Willumsen who does it almost professionally, and Wesley Congdon, of course, whose father is pretty good at it,” Keerans told me.
The teams are comprised of leaders and support cooks, including team leaders Spotteck, Keerans, and Ian Kanarvogel, and teams, Freddy Mundy & Nick Gross, Skip Tuthill & Wesley Congdon, Dan Clark & Derrick Smith, and Lance Willumsen & Jimbo Theinert.
Spotteck said of the event that everybody wins because they’ll have at least eight delicious meals to try. A novice at cooking, he loves to eat and knows good food. He plans to hit the farm stands Saturday morning to select fresh, ripe vegetables for the sides he’ll be creating.
Younger veterans, and their pals, step up
Sean Clark, an officer with the Shelter Island Police Department, began his military career in 2007 when he entered the United States Naval Academy. He joined the Marine Corps serving for eight years in the Training and Educational Command, finishing as a captain in 2019.
His said his earliest memories of the Legion are of the Memorial Day parade and the wreath ceremony at Bridge Street for sailors lost at sea.
“I’ve always been in awe of it,” Clark said. “I have had family members that have served, and more recently I was very close with Joey Theinert before he passed, so my involvement with the Legion became much more in-depth after that.
“Obviously, I became active duty, and my father-in-law, Gunnar [Wissemann], was in the service and I’ve known [Legion Commander] Dave Clark my whole life,” Sean said.
Tom Spotteck also served in the Marine Corps, in his case from 2007 to 2011. He studied winemaking at Washington State University, and eventually worked his way back to the East End. For the past 10 years, he’s been associated with Lenz Winery, where he currently holds the title of winemaker.
He also makes the wines served here on Shelter Island at White Oak Wine Garden, and is a winemaking consultant.
“We all use the Legion as a place to all hang out and bowl and we want to utilize the space and keep it going and bring in the fresh, younger people,” Spotteck said. He has strong memories of the Legion, where his name and the names of his father and grandfather are among those displayed on stones that honor the Island men and women who have served.
Keerans, owner of Silver Lab Property Management, joined the Legion as a social member three years ago and has won the Thanksgiving turkey for the last two years.
“I’m hoping a lot of people show up and they raise a lot of money for the Legion,” he said. “They’ve never had a fundraiser outside of membership and bowling, and ever since the pandemic they have had to be closed to normal opportunities to raise money.”
Mitchell Post 281 community
American Legion Mitchell Post 281, which shares the Community Center with the Town of Shelter Island Recreation Department, is more than just a place to gather.
“We feel a sense of community here that Islanders always talk about,” Clark said. “We don’t know how word gets out because there is no advertising but on some Wednesday nights when Rose Wissemann cooks, there are all kinds of people here together and it’s such a special place.”
In addition to organizing ceremonies to honor service personnel on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, the Legion also supports the broader community with donations to the library, the PBA, scholarships, and the Shelter Island Educational Foundation, among others. The post also contributes to national programs like VetDogs, which provides service animals for disabled vets.
Don’t miss this fun chance to give back to this essential Island service organization. Attend the cook-off on Saturday, August 28 at 6 PM, and help pick our community’s BBQ champs!
