Ideal Fire Department Beef Feed

Every year the Ideal Beef Feed is an annual tradition on the Whitefish Chain- one that nearly everyone in the area, whether a local, visitor or just passing through, stops to enjoy.

The Ideal Beef Feed is a fundraiser for the Ideal Fire Department, a group of volunteer men and women who help keep the area safe, fighting grass and building fires and responding to medical and 911 calls. In support of their efforts, and as part of a long-standing tradition, the community always shows out in huge numbers to support the fire department.

The dinner includes baron of beef, coleslaw, buns, watermelon, and all the corn on the cob you can eat. The beef and corn are both cooked the day of the feed by Ideal Fire Department members and other volunteers and family members.

While the fundraiser had modest beginnings, now around 2,000 meals are served annually at the feed during its four hours of operation. Through the decades of the beef feed, more than 28,000 pounds of beef, 175,000 ears of corn, 1,200 watermelons and 5 tons of coleslaw have been served to hungry fire department supporters. Now that’s a fire truck load of food!