By Eileen Godin

egodin@timesleader.com

DALLAS TWP. — The first time in 68 years the Kunkle Volunteer Fire Company will not hold its traditional chicken dinner fundraiser in May.

The annual family-style dinner is typically held the first Saturday in May and serves as a fundraiser for the rural fire company as well as a community social, said Bernice Manzoni, publicity chairperson for the fire company.

This year, the event, which started in 1948, will be postponed to Oct. 1 because of health issues afflicting several key members, Manzoni said.

“They are on the mends now,” she said of the volunteers.

The Kunkle Volunteer Fire Company raised $1,500 last year from the chicken dinner fundraiser, she said.

“We thought about cancelling the event,” Manzoni said. “But it (the chicken dinner) was always well attended — and we had so many people asking about it — we decided to reschedule it for the first Saturday in October.”

The Kunkle Volunteer Fire Company will offer a variety of other fundraising events, including:

• Eat Drink & Paint, starting at 6:30 p.m., April 22 at the Kunkle Fire Company Social Hall, 815 Kunkle Road, Dallas. The fee is $45 and attendees must be at least 18 years of age. The fee covers food, non-alcoholic beverages and painting supplies. This is a BOYB event and participants must be 21 years old and older to drink alcohol.

• Mother’s Day Buffet Breakfast, 8 a.m. to noon, May 8, at the Kunkle Fire Company Social Hall. Admission is $9 for adults and $4 for children children 12 years old and younger.

• Kunkle Fire Company Golf Outing, registration starts at 11 a.m., tee-off at noon, July 21 at Irem Country Club in Dallas. A fee of $75 per person includes 18 holes of golf, a riding cart, snacks, water, soda, pork and chicken barbecue and a chance to win prizes.

For more information about any of these events, call the Kunkle Volunteer Fire Company at 570-675-3334 or visit www.kunklefire.com.

Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.