The Mount Vernon Rotary Club will honor local First Responders and their families with a barbecue dinner starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, in the Family Life building of the First United Methodist Church in Mount Vernon.
The event committee is seeking donations of gift baskets, concert tickets, gift cards, pro-sports game tickets, tool sets, and the like, to be awarded as prizes to First Responders registered with one of the local service organizations. Call 903-466-2227 to arrange a donation drop-off or pick-up. Leave a message with your phone number to get a call back. Items must be received no later than noon on Thursday, April 16.
Local service organizations recognized as “First Responders” for the event include the North Franklin Fire Department, Mount Vernon Fire Department, Franklin County Sheriff’s (deputies, jailers, dispatchers), Mount Vernon Police Department, Purley Fire Department, South Franklin Fire Department, locally based Emergency Service (EMS) personnel, and Department of Public Safety officers (highway patrol, license & weight, rangers) assigned to cover Franklin County.
Members of local First Responders and their families are invited to attend, along with any early-arriving registered bicyclists, since this will be the night before the annual Tour de Cypress bicycle rides. However, only First Responders are eligible to win the assortment of prizes provided by the club, local businesses, and individuals.
The meal includes barbecued beef brisket or chicken thighs, potato salad, coleslaw, seasoned pinto beans, dessert, and all the traditional trimmings, with a choice of tea or water.
