Wausa Q125 Pork Chop BBQ/Auction Items Needed

The Annual Pork Chop BBQ to support Wausa's Q125 is coming up next weekend.  It will be held Saturday, July 25, at Wausa's Gladstone Park.  There will also be an auction that evening to benefit the upcoming celebration.  
Thanks you to Katie Clausen of Wausa for the following information about the BBQ.
"There are certain traditions in Wausa that make it a special and familial place to live. Wausa tradition is the Dala horse welcoming you home or seeing someone you know on Broadway Street. Its Kindergarten graduation and the Pork Chop BBQ. 
“It was before the 90’s when we started because the centennial was in ‘90 and we had already ten years before that of raising money.” Bruce Pfeil said. “That way we didn’t have to have a bunch of fund raisers for the Centennial.”
Pfeil is a lifelong resident of Wausa, and has always been a big supporter and key member of the Pork Chop Barbeque.  He was at the helm of both the Viking Ship and the Wausa barbeque at their inception.
Fred Baedkey was the Hormel man. He had been in a town in Iowa who used it as a fund raiser and we thought, "Why not? We didn’t have any other things to do.”
The pork chops are now supplied by Wausa’s own Wausa Lockers, where they put extra emphasis on community events and have many fans of their pork chops. The barbeque is dependent on auction item donations from both business and personal parties. The auctions are a fun way to raise the funds needed to put on the most spectacular Q125 possible.
Doug Johnson remembers how important the auction has been in the past, and continues to be.
“They’re [the auction items] important from a fund raising standpoint,” Johnson said. “That’s really what’s raised the money over the years.”
Funds raised by the barbeque have been used in the community throughout the years.
“The food and fun part attracts the people but it’s the auction items that have made the money.  Since 1983, it’s been a good event and good for the community. The main focus has been for the centennial and the Q125 but there have been a lot of community projects that the money has gone to as well,” Johnson said.
The Q125 celebration, coming up over Labor Day, will have an emphasis on inexpensive or free events for Wausa residents to partake in. This is made possible by having successful Pork Chop Barbeques.

Because Pfeil can often be found still flipping pork chops over the fire each year, he has seen some changes and some constants with the event in his years of participation.
"Both the silent auction, live auction and band for entertainment have always been a part of it," Pfeil said. “But generally we’ve had more dancing in the past.”


Celebrating Wausa’s 125th anniversary isn’t solely about Labor Day or one last summer hurrah, but rather the whole year celebrating the community. The Pork Chop Barbeque is one Wausa tradition that both comforts us by promoting a sense of community, and also provides us with the backing we need to put on events, support local community groups and fund charitable organizations.
Gladstone Park, a beautiful asset to the community, sets the stage for both events. Mid-summer is a wonderful time to spend an evening in the park, and July 25th is the official date for this year’s event.
As always, the Pork Chop BBQ is quite the deal at $15 for unlimited pork chops, sides and two drink tickets. More than a meal, it’s a great way for both Wausa and Knox County residents to help support the community that we know and love. Live music entertainment begins just at dusk with the Silver Moon Band. The beverage tent will be open throughout the entertainment portion of the event.

Business or individuals who wish to donate an auction item can do so by contacting Jeff Friedrich at 402-586-2272. "

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