Mallard Creek Bar-B-Q

Last month, seven of us packed into a mini-van, fighting 5 o'clock traffic and my poor sense of direction, to attend the perennial Mallard Creek Bar-B-Q. Our goal was to shake the hands of some politicians and raise consciousness around homelessness.

We were an eclectic bunch. Rollon, with his serious stature, ensured we were prepared, buying breath mints on our journey and sharing them throughout the van. Marvin, who kept the gospel tunes rolling throughout the car trip, took it upon himself to keep an eye on Michael, who has the propensity to wander away from crowds. Once we arrived, Dianne, pared down her several layers of clothing to our HHH T-shirt over one sweater. She charmed every dog, baby and man in sight – even Ms. Tonja Damon, judicial candidate, whom Dianne told, “Your picture don’t do you justice,” when Ms. Damon handed over her political propaganda. Vincent, the scholar in the crew, went back for a second round of handshakes with politicians to ensure we covered the issues to the best of our abilities. Virgil made the good church folks hosting us smile with his happy seconds on the slaw and enjoyment of the festivities: “That must be what the state fair is like!” he blurted out on the ride home.

We met our goal of meeting politicians (though fewer than we had hoped), but also succeeded in much more. The generosity of Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church (who donate all proceeds from the Bar-B-Q to missions) spiraled outward and for a moment, we were living in the type of community for which we all long.