Yuba holds annual smelt feed
A long time running, the Yuba Volunteer Fire Department held its 39th annual smelt feed last Saturday May 11th, at the Yuba Community Center.
While cars lined the streets of Yuba every which way, people were lined up waiting to get their annual fill of the little silvery fish that are found abundant in the Great Lakes.
“Yuba only has a few events. This is how we bring people together within in our community, it’s our gathering.”, said Yuba Fire Department’s Service Director of EMS Jeannie Urbanek.
Serving over five-hundred people, this year’s feed went through about twenty-one eleven-pound boxes of smelt. This year, the Fire Department was selling red memorial shirts that feed volunteers wore to raise money for the Brock Haugh Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship honors Haugh, a member of the fire department, who passed away last fall. Haugh, a Military Veteran, was well liked and respected in the community.
In addition to the scholarship, the fire department held raffles that raised funds to benefit the Fire Department and Community Center alike. Yuba Mayor Jim Huffman, who also happens to be the town’s Fire Chief, served as the event’s MC, making sure winners of the raffles were announced and things ran smooth.
A huge undertaking, Urbanek said, “The potato salad was made by the ladies in the community. They donated their potatoes, eggs, time, and love. The desserts were all made by fireman’s wives and people in the community.” She added, “That is a part of being part of a small community, recognizing people that help out.”
