So this Saturday I found myself taking a very scenic drive from the Press' downtown Middletown office to the Westfield Fire Department's annual chicken barbecue.

Talk about well-attended! I had to circle the lot twice before a parking spot became available. At various instances during my time there, the line stretched clear out the door, sometimes 20 deep, full of hungry locals waiting to take a seat. It was a veritable barbe-queue. Sorry, I couldn't help myself!

I was first introduced to Pete Murphy, the treasurer of the Westfield Fire Department who, along with Fred Jones and Harold Holmes, chairs the annual event.

According to Murphy, this year marked the 46th year that the fire department has brought barbecued chicken with all the fixin's to the community. The event, which Murphy said nets about $4,000 each year, serves more than 1,000 dinners. About 600 diners have their meal in the fire house, while around 400 dinners are made to go. The space seats about 200 people, which means about three seating during the 4 to 7 p.m. event. Yikes!

According to Murphy, the event has developed quite a following in the community.

"Everyone pretty much comes back year after year," Murphy said.

I asked Murphy how many of the members of the department it took to put together such an event.

"All of them," he said, laughing. He said that whoever was available turned out either Saturday to man the event, or Friday to set up.

"It's a nice community event, and I look forward to it," said Murphy, who has been with the department for almost 30 years.

I asked Murphy if I could sneak back to the barbecue pit and see where the magic happens. Surprisingly, he said that the chicken is all barbecued in a pit behind Third Congregational Church on Miner Street and driven back to the fire department.

I was then introduced to Chief John Lockwood, and he and Murphy talked to me about which people currently dining at the event had attended the longest. It was then that Lockwood introduced me to Stan Atwell and his wife, Laura, with whom I was seated. Atwell was the former chief of the fire department in Middlefield. Atwell, who spent 55 years as a fire fighter, said that area fire departments come out annually to support the event.

When asked what the best thing at the event was, both Laura and Stan were in agreement -- it was all about that chicken.

Accompanying the chicken were rolls, coleslaw, potato salad and cranberry sauce, all of which was served family-style at each table. Asking for a heaping helping of side dishes, I met Sue and Larry Brown, who were attending the event for the first time.

"It's nice to see everybody," Laura Atwell said. "It's a typical small-town get together." She added that she particularly looks forward to the homemade desserts.

Wait. What? There is dessert involved? I'm definitely getting my $9 worth at this event. It is then that I saw volunteers carrying large trays packed with slices of pie. I was getting ahead of myself, though, because I had gotten so wrapped up in talking that I didn't realize I hadn't gotten a plate. Stan Atwell was nice enough to flag someone down for me, and within minutes I had literally half a chicken laying on a plate in front of me. No, seriously -- half a chicken. It was enough to make this veteran member of the clean plate club shake in her boots.

As the Atwells finished their meal and said their goodbyes, their seats were quickly filled by Lou and Janet Amenta, Middletown residents and long-time barbecue attendants.

I asked the two couples what the best community events were in the area, and both Amentas and Browns were agreed that the Westfield Memorial Day Parade was incomparable. I may just have to stop back at the end of this month!

After I finished my meal, Krysta Holmes (the daughter of one the event's chairs), brought around the dessert tray. I asked her what the most popular piece of pie at the event was.

"The chocolate pie," she responded. "That's why I don't have any left." I was content with a piece of pecan pie (my first ever, to tell ya the truth), and it was delicious.

It should be mentioned that the wonderful meal was not my sole source of entertainment. Dinner came with a show in the form of a line of volunteers packing up take-away dinners at lightening speed. Seriously, they were so fast that it took me a few shots with my camera to get their hands in focus instead of blurred across the frame. I had to stop by the table and ask about the undertaking. Fire Marshal Art Higgins, manning the side dishes station, stood behind a big plastic container of coleslaw. It was big, like, I put my Christmas decorations in a similarly sized container, and I really really like Christmas. Higgins said the event tears through about 350 pounds of coleslaw, 300 pounds of potato salad and 550 chickens. Can you imagine?

As I parted the event, I saw a group of youngers and accompanying parents dining on a spread blanket on the grass next to the fire house and stopped for some photos. One of the parents said she planned for the picnic because the barbecue is usually so full, and it was such a beautiful day out. It was picnic weather, I agreed, and I then made my way back to my car for a windows-down drive home with a full belly and a story to tell.