Submitted Photo At right, Gerry rodeo head chef Bruce Gustafson (left) and rodeo chairman Tom Atwell and his wife Sharon finish stacking the wood which will be used to cook the barbecue beef for the dinners this Saturday at the Gerry Rodeo Grounds.

GERRY – Fans of the traditional beef barbecue dinners that have been a part of the Gerry Fire Department’s annual PRCA rodeos for the past 73 years will be able to experience an early taste of the rodeo cuisine.

Chef Bruce Gustafson and his crew will be serving the dinners this coming Saturday, June 3, in the rodeo dining hall on Route 60 from 4 to 7 p.m. or until sold out.

The Saturday event will feature the full rodeo-style dinners with beef cooked outdoors for eight hours over aged maple wood fires, the secret recipe barbecue sauce, deep fried browned potatoes, corn, tossed salad, cottage cheese, roll, ice cream and beverage. The cost for adults is $12 and $7 for children ages 3-12.

Gustafson, and his wife Paula, have headed up the cooking and serving of the rodeo dinners for the past 13 years and have volunteered to provide this extra opportunity for area fans to enjoy a beef dinner ahead of rodeo. All proceeds go to the Gerry Volunteer Fire Department.

The dinners will again be served each night of the 73rd annual rodeo, scheduled for four performances, August 2 – 5, with more than 200 professional cowboys and cowgirls from across the nation expected to compete for $45,000 in prize money. This rodeo is now the longest consecutively running rodeo east of the Mississippi. Additional information concerning either the rodeo or the dinners this weekend can be found at the rodeo website www.gerryrodeo.org or by phone at 985-4847.