By Richard L. Gaw

Staff Writer

Despite the morning threat of rain and the unfortunate announcement that the barbecue portion of the event will have to wait until 2022 because of the continuing pandemic, the fourth Brandywine Backyard Barbecue drew a crowd of more than 500 to New Garden Township Park on April 25 for a five-hour appreciation of scouting.

Sponsored by the Chester County Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the fourth annual event – which serves as a major fundraiser that benefits local scouting programs through the Friends of Scouting Campaign of the Chester County Council BSA -- looked to rebound from 2020, when it was canceled due to COVID-19.

It certainly lived up to previous years, as socially-distant crowds filled a ball field adjacent to a pavilion stage to hear live music by The Late Ambitions, Younger Than Charlie and Ol’ 442.

Rimming the stage area, several food trucks served up a wide assortment of goodies that included 22BBQ, Uncle John’s BBQ, Baked of West Chester, On The Roll, Sugar Shack, Chuck’s Barbeque and Rita’s Water Ice, with adult beverages served by Braeloch Brewing Company and Harvest Ridge Winery. 

“We have tried to turn this into a community event, not just for the scouting community but the whole community,” said Brandywine Backyard BBQ Chairman Don Kohler. “The purpose of this is to have people out to enjoy the park, and hopefully our impact will be to raise funds for scouting and provide more information on scouting.”

To learn more about the Chester County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, visit www.cccbsa.org/join, or to find a scout troop near you, visit www.BeAScout.org.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].